Redemption
by EternalStarhaven
Summary: She didn't think she deserved a life of hope or salvation, not like the others. Who saves the Savior from herself? As Lightning reflects on the past, the protector must help her see the light of hope that she truly is and make her believe that all was worth the long battle she waged.
1. Reflections - Part One

Redemption

(Reflections - **Present**)

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><p><strong>Part One<strong>

She had thought that once everything had returned to normal, her heart might know peace. However, regardless of the fact that the darkness no longer overshadowed her every waking moment, Lightning couldn't let the past several centuries go. She had fought for so long, at the very end of the world and time, trying to prevent the destruction of humanity, to almost having to face an eternity trapped inside Chaos with Bhunivelze. That should have been her punishment, the price for her part in the releasing of Chaos and the ending of humanity.

Bhunivelze wasn't dead; how long Caius Ballad could contain him inside the darkness was anyone's guess, and the thought of another battle, of losing everything she had fought for... it was too much. And suddenly, like so many times before, he was there, blocking the shadowy nightmares. Once, a long time ago, she had tried to resist their connection, the threads that bound them together, but it was that bond that had enabled her to endure the impossible. Light truly hated the darkness, and that too disappeared at the flipping of a switch, her silent protector always coming to her rescue. Had she always needed saving?

"Stop," he growled, his familiar voice reaching through her mind-numbing terror. A strong, but gentle touch brushed against her cheek, a calloused thumb wiping aside the tears she hadn't realized were falling. Why was she crying again? Was that all she did anymore? Light turned her face into the palm of his hand, the agony of the past overwhelming her. If she had kept on fighting, she would have had no time to feel the pain eating away at her soul.

She wanted to say that she was strong enough to let him go, to allow things to return to the way things had been, but she couldn't and the sigh of irritation was her only warning before he selfishly claimed her lips, biting just hard enough to get her to open her mouth and allow him to consume her in a storm of determined possessiveness. This was the side only Light knew, their cursed immortality a burden they both shared. She knew if she didn't stop him now, where this would head, and like several times before, in their long past together, she was powerless against anything he wanted from her. Sensing her struggle to regain her control, he simply shoved her back, his heavier weight pinning her down. They all had choices, and in the end, she was his.

_'Serah...' _he heard her whisper in his mind.

'_...chose Noel_.' Very reluctantly, he pulled back, forcing himself to breathe in and out before rolling to the side and pulling her close, surrounding her with the strength she had come to rely on. She was exhausted, but Light feared the darkness and the nightmares that would soon follow. "Go to sleep," he gently demanded.

"I can't," she said, shaking her head back and forth. She was terrified of closing her eyes, hating herself that she couldn't hide it from him; hating herself that she couldn't hide it from herself either. Where had her tight resolve gone; where was the cold and emotionless Soldier girl? Or had she ever really existed? Grasping her chin, his arm firmly wrapped around her shoulders, he forced her to look into his eyes. He couldn't help himself, and kissed her again, his thumb holding her bottom lip as he nipped at it, and then lapped away the sting with his tongue.

He had loved this woman for as long as he could remember, and he'd probably continue to do so long after tonight. Why couldn't she see that she felt the same? He had to show her, and that was the only reason that caused him to end their kiss, to not take it to the next level. This wasn't about a quick fling, a sating of urges... He wanted all of her, and he'd have her, mind, soul, and then her body.

"I've got your back, Light. Go to sleep." He had always had her back, ever since the very beginning. The nightmares had started long before the Purge, but it was after the Purge that she had been incapable of closing her eyes without seeing the color red. Why, after everything she had done, had he persisted on fighting and waiting for her?

Touching their foreheads together, "I could tell you the answer, but you're not ready for it. Go to sleep," he whispered, tucking her as close as he could get her, shielding her from the world and herself.


	2. Defers of Fate

**(Chapt****er**** One- The Hanging Edge)**

Defers of Fate

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><p><strong><em>The thirteen days after they awoke were the beginning of the end ~ Lightning<em>**

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><p>A light reflected through the windows of the dark train, the occupants all dressed in white robes with blue embroidery. Most, at least before that day, had assumed anyone wearing them were criminals of Cocoon Society. Why would the Sanctum arrest or hurt innocent people? Six years ago even, Lightning might have agreed with that logic, but that was then, and this was now. Not only had the Sanctum altered her life indefinitely, but once again they threatened to take the only thing that mattered to her; Serah.<p>

Lightning Farron, former Sergeant of the Bodhum Security Regiment, should have seen this coming. Serah chose to defy her sister's wishes in regards to joining NORA, Bodhum's para-military organization. Granted, Serah according to Sanctum law, was of legal age, and therefore old enough to make her own decisions. Was it out of spite or the need for attention that Serah had agreed to join NORA?

Before Serah had joined them, Lightning had never really cared about NORA or its Commander one way or the other. In her mind, NORA was an unauthorized organization and insignificant. As far as the Sanctum was concerned, so long as Snow didn't openly defy the government or get in the military's way, he was permitted to operate and recruit the orphaned children nobody wanted or cared for. Why stop someone willing to clothe, feed, educate, and employ a large portion of Sanctum's orphaned society.

The moment Serah had joined their organization, Lightning's indifference turned to open hostility and opposition. She had sacrificed her own hopes and dreams to keep Serah safe and off of the Sanctum's radar, and Snow had an apparent lack of respect for the Sanctum's rules and regulations. Not only had he recruited Serah, but he had set his eyes on the older Sister. The harder she resisted, the more determined he became at acquiring her. To be fair, however, Serah joining NORA was her fault, a reaction to the choices Lightning had been forced to make. Lightning had been given no other alternatives, not if she wanted to stop the Sanctum from taking Serah. Snow had given Serah what Light had not; a place of security and safety.

Not a sound echoed throughout the train compartment; these people were without hope, yanked from their beds and homes, regardless of guilt or innocence. In the eyes of the Sanctum, they had just become expendable, the people of Cocoon too afraid to risk the alternative of simply quarantining them. Their only crime was living next to an undetected fal'Cie. Since the War of Transgression, the fal'Cie had slumbered inside of the Pulse Vestige that existed at the edge of Bodhum. Why now? What had caused the fal'Cie to suddenly awaken?

Something had triggered the fal'Cie's need to make its presence known; and the events after had spun the city of Bodhum into a storm of chaos and confusion. Her soul ached with regret and fear. 'Why Serah?' Pulse fal'Cie and Pulse l'Cie were the nightmares of legends, barely talked about in school. Military knowledge and history covered more in depth about Cocoon's ancient enemies, but no one could truly have claimed to have seen or come in contact with Pulse up until thirteen days ago.

Occasionally rumors popped up, stirred a panic, and the Sanctum swiftly investigated and dealt with them. Lightning, all too well, had experienced this first hand. She tried to convince herself that all of this was just a bad nightmare, that she'd wake up and find herself screaming in her empty house like every other night. However, she wasn't dreaming, not this time, and Lightning felt helpless against the series of events that would have forced her to make hard choices, to choose sides, and most importantly, reminded her of what was truly important to her. All of this was happening because of the Pulse fal'Cie making one of their own a Pulse l'Cie, an enemy of Cocoon. So terrified others would suffer the same fate, Cocoon had agreed to the Sanctum's decree to authorize the complete removal of Bodhum to Pulse. Only Lightning knew the truth; no one went to Pulse, not the Vestige and definitely not the Bodhum residents.

Even Lightning would have agreed to their removal, but she knew Serah and she'd never willingly harm Cocoon. She would have been like the Soldier pacing up and down their train compartment, hating anything and everything related to Pulse. Only difference being was that her hatred had nothing to do with old bed time stories, but what it had cost her.

If Serah hadn't been connected to any of this, she would have been like everyone else, in complete agreement of the 'Purge.' Would she have seen these people as victims of circumstance, or as an enemy? No one knew why a fal'Cie chose someone to carry out its will, or why one from Pulse had turned someone native to Cocoon. No one knew if a l'Cie, once marked, could spread their brand from one person to another, and no one was cray or brave enough to figure it out.

Without hesitation or compassion, the Public Security and Intelligence Command (PSICOM) Soldier executed his orders, ensuring the strict compliance and obedience of those beneath his watch. If anyone moved or indicated a rebellious disposition, his orders were to shoot and not ask questions later. As far as PSICOM was concerned, every man, woman, and child was nothing more than a target. They were no longer human in their eyes, but a tainted or diseased animal that needed to be put down. None of these people were l'Cie, of this she was certain. There's no way any of them would have made it past processing, but then again, it wouldn't surprise her if one had either. One way or another, any future potential of one of them turning l'Cie was about to be quickly and effectively dealt with. The other reason she knew the Purge was just a term used to pacify the public, was because the Sanctum only used PSICOM in mass numbers when they wanted to keep something off the radar and out of the news. The transport of prisoners was normally a Corps task, not PSICOM. In fact, to ensure this stayed under wraps, the Sanctum had ordered the complete withdrawal of the Bodhum Regiment Corps from the city.

PSCIOM was a military unit of the Sanctum, also referred to as the Public Security and Intelligence Command; their sole existence to train, prepare, and deal with any possible threats to Pulse. Anything that dealt with the people and their well-being fell under Corps's responsibility. The Corps had units stationed in the cities, wilderness, and the sky, every place where humans existed. Essentially, PSICOM was the brains while the Corps was the muscle of the Sanctum Military. As such, Lightning already knew she had the upper hand in the battles to come. When push came to shove, Lightning never lost, nor did she back down from a challenge. A lot of people were going to die today, and by her hand. She'd start with the one waving his weapon around and randomly pointing it at the terrified passengers. It was like he wanted a reason to shoot them, repeating his behavior again and again throughout the duration of their ride.

Going rogue was a serious offense, one punishable by public execution if caught, but it might be awhile before anyone realized that Sergeant Lightning Farron had not boarded the train due to a PSICOM mistake. Lightning didn't expect to live past the day's end; she only needed to survive long enough to find and save her sister. In a way, Serah becoming a l'Cie, had done Lightning a favor, finally giving her a reason to break free of the Sanctum's control over her. The moment they had opened fire on Serah, was the minute Lightning became their enemy, a far bigger threat than a Pulse l'Cie.

Pure hatred guided her now, and it wasn't towards the passengers sitting to her right and left. For years, the Sanctum had used common tactics like fear and murder to enforce Cocoon's way of life, but only a limited number of people knew this harsh reality. Lightning was one of those few, and unlike the rest of these people, she knew that the Sanctum government had no intentions of sending them to Pulse; no, the 'Purge', was nothing more than an excuse to gather the Vestige and the civilians into one location and execute them in one strike.

If anyone should pay for the unknown fal'Cie being outside of Bodhum, it should have been their very own Sanctum government for having abandoned the Pulse Vestige just outside of Bodhum. This was no longer about NORA or herself, or their more than irritating Commander. No, this was about the government breaking their promise to never harm Serah. Lightning had sacrificed everything, and she wasn't one to forget or forgive.

Snow and Serah had attempted to tell her about the curse, but at the time, all that had been forefront in her mind was their unexpected engagement. Serah knew Lightning wouldn't have given her consent, and the l'Cie curse, to Lightning, had been nothing more than an elaborate lie to gain her sympathy. With cruel and harsh words, Serah had taken off, and it wasn't until the public broadcasting of PSICOM attacking her, that Lightning had realized her terrible mistake.

Every time she encountered the NORA Commander, her temper got the better of her, but this time might cost her more than she could afford to pay. Why had Snow proposed to Serah? They didn't love each other, but Snow never did the expected, always making fast decisions before thinking them all the way through to completion. If only she had listen to them; would these people have been purged if she had? Lightning didn't have that answer, but when it came to Snow, she lost the ability to rationalize and process information in a logical manner. What was done was done, and her only options at this point was to move forward and attempt to save Serah from the Purge, and turning Cie'th. Lightning didn't even want to consider the third alternative; turning to crystal.

Lightning expected no one to assist in her suicide mission. One, she had a solitary life. Second, she had no idea if PSICOM had arrested Snow or if she even had the right to ask for his help after what she had said. Without friends, Lightning didn't have to worry if the Sanctum might use them as tools against her later. However, the lack of friends was also like a double-edged sword. Not having anyone to rely on, gave her no back up when she could have used it the most. The benefit of being alone was that all her free time had gone towards training. She would need those skills today, but would it be enough for what was about to take place?

Her blue eyes, if the PSICOM Soldier had been paying attention, were blazing with hatred and determination. One moment of inattention... One moment of distraction... She quietly studied her opponents every move; the way he carried himself, the way he held his weapon, and the condition of his uniform. All of these factors combined told her about the caliber of the person she'd face, and this particular idiot was just about to fail his one and only inspection from her.

Lieutenant Amodar had tried to warn her, telling Lightning to avoid PSICOM matters and focus only on her future and Serah. However, that had been before she discovered her sister had become a l'Cie, before PSICOM had opened fire on her in the streets, and before the fal'Cie had taken her a hostage inside of the Vestige. What was the point of making her a l'Cie, if she would have no chance of carrying out the task given to her? Lightning should have realized that Amodar wasn't relieving the unit out of a feeling of sympathy or compassion, but because PSICOM had wanted them gone. Had Amodar known about the 'Purge,' or was he simply following orders? She truly hoped it was the latter, not wanting to make the man her enemy.

As for Snow, the man that seemed to get beneath her skin without any effort, was an enigma to her. Sure, she had seen him in passing before, but Lightning had no reason to get close to him or the members of NORA. She had often seen him in passing, but until ten days ago, she had never come face-to-face with him. Serah, not Snow, had had the audacity to declare that they were an item. Not only was Snow several years older, but he was part of something Lightning didn't want around her sister. One glance at the two of them screamed a lack of chemistry. So, why the game?"

After, she had confronted Snow, demanding he break it off. Instead of listening, his blue eyes always flickered with amusement, and once he even had the audacity to tap her on the nose and stated the decision was not his, but Serah's. The man enraged her, and for the life of her, Lightning had no idea why? He stirred emotions she had taught herself never to acknowledge, and she hated him with her younger sister. The intensity of her reaction often left herself in a state of confusion. Was she so possessive of Serah that she couldn't let her be happy? Snow had money and power, but Lightning wasn't content with just those things alone. There was a reason the two of them had become an item, but Serah refused to explain or change her mind. She wanted to blame Snow for the fal'Cie taking her sister, but in truth, the fault rested on her shoulders.

_'Damn it!'_ she thought. Lightning hated the Sanctum as much, if not more, than Snow Villiers. At times, she had even considered joining NORA, but she hadn't dared, not if she wanted to keep Serah alive. Had she joined NORA, the Sanctum would have immediately taken action, and their lives would have been forfeit. Lightning wanted more than anything to apologize to Snow, to beg for his forgiveness after the cruel and harsh words she had hurled at Serah. However, it didn't seem like she'd have the chance.

The time to act was upon them, to fight for something greater than herself. If she failed, Serah would pay the ultimate price, and that thought was more than Lightning's shattered soul could bare to contemplate. Gone was the Soldier of Guardian Corps, no longer a Sergeant, but not a civilian either. No... She'd become the light that flashed bright and violently in the sky... A weapon of destruction... a storm of reckoning.

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><p>Lightning knew every aspect of the train, how many compartments there were, and how many passengers there were in each. Each car would have one to two armed guards, depending on the type of prisoners they were guarding. The remainder of the guards, if there were any, would be on the bridge, simply waiting for the next set of instructions or to relieve one of the guards. In the cars, each had two rows of seats, the passengers facing each other, and their hands locked with energy bands. She would need the key to release everyone, and more than likely she'd find it on the guard.<p>

PSICOM didn't consider the civilians a threat, but what they failed to take into account was that a vast majority of the people on her train were not just civilians, but NORA operatives. She had recognized their clothing prior to processing, but the Sanctum refused to acknowledge Snow's organization as a military organization. As such, NORA was not seen as combatants of war, or a viable danger to their plans. NORA had a larger recruitment base than the Sanctum realized, and Snow never recruited anyone that had a family; only those without. He spent millions on their training and education, making him by far the most dangerous para-military Commander she had ever read about in any text. And then there was herself. PSICOM, by allowing her to board the train, had made a critical error. Rogue Soldiers were rare, and the moment she had handed over her blade, the Solider should have arrested and hauled her off for sentencing and execution. This only confirmed her first suspicion that this train was headed to death row, not Pulse.

Perhaps it wasn't too late to request a place with NORA, but that all depended on whether or not she lived past the first five minutes of her breakout plan. If nothing else, she'd give NORA a fighting change, but only if she managed to free them of their restraints. One key would free all of them, not just the passengers in her compartment.

Cocoon had lived under fal'Cie and Sanctum law since its creation, the people oblivious to the morality of what was happening around them. The Sanctum was Cocoon's central government, holding supreme executive, legislative, and judicial powers. Having direct authority over the military, made the Sanctum's law and power absolute. Even though the fal'Cie built Cocoon, the governance of humans fell under Primarch Galenth Dysley's responsibility. Lightning wasn't like most of Cocoon, blind to the lies and methods used to control and maintain compliance. Every day... Every hour... Lightning had spent training for a possibility like today. She knew hunger and she knew pain, but rather than break, it had only served to make her stronger. Six years of brutal training had molded Lightning into a force of reckoning.

Lightning had earned nothing but contempt and resentment for her achievements; this only served to confirm that the only person she could rely on, was herself. Refusing weakness in herself, Lightning excelled in all levels of combat the Corps had to offer; hand-to-hand, weapons, tactical and strategical planning, and most importantly, how to start a war. The only one that rivaled her skills, to her surprise and dismay, was not a member of the Sanctum, but Snow Villiers himself. How the Sanctum or PSICOM didn't see Snow as a danger to their way of doing things, baffled her. Perhaps it was his smile that had people turning a blind eye, his charm getting him almost anything he wanted.

Lightning had no idea how Snow Villiers learned of Serah or herself, but the moment she had transferred to Bodhum, Snow had never stopped trying to recruit her. He might have succeeded with Serah, but not the ever so stubborn Lightning Farron. What else had he known about her? Re-directing her attention back to her armed companion, she watched the changing of the shifts, how each one seemed bored and lazy; however not with the new one that had just replaced the previous guard. Watching the guard leave, Lightning noticed it was none other than the Sergeant that had taken her gun blade earlier that morning. He lifted his weapon and stared down the barrel towards each civilian, the red beam lingering before moving on to the next target. Not a single person moved, so terrified of him pulling the trigger.

"You serious?"

Having grown accustomed to the silence, the last thing she had expected was to find someone other than herself that didn't sit here like a mindless puppet being led to his slaughter. Why was he choosing to speak now? Had he noticed the change in the guard's demeanor as well? The Sergeant acted more aggressive, and she knew she'd have to make her move and soon. "Be quiet," she hissed.

The man had a valid reason for his anger, but now was not the time to voice his outraged opinion. One mistake and it was game over for all of them. The unknown man lifted his head, glaring at the Sergeant before returning his gaze towards the floor. Any idiot that didn't sense the approaching storm deserved their fate. This ex-Soldier might have handed over her military-issue gun-blade, but she was far from wanting to go quietly into the night without a fight. "Best of luck," he muttered. This Soldier girl, who ever she was, was going to need it.

Lightning rolled her eyes. Only badly trained Soldiers needed luck to survive. You either had what it took to make it to the top, or you died. It was that simple to her. One chance. There wouldn't be a second, and these people depended on her success or failure. It was kill or be killed in this new path of choice, no longer bound to anyone dictating how she chose to live or die. Succeeding today would only earn her a temporary freedom, but afterwards, she'd always be on the run, a fugitive, and labeled as an ex-Soldier gone Rogue. Other than being branded a Pulse l'Cie, there was no greater crime. Her only consolation was that if she failed, she'd not live long enough to regret the death of these civilians.

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><p>The Hanging Edge was a beautiful city, once the epicenter for transportation across Cocoon. It was a relic of the days prior to the War of Transgression, located at the outer rim of Cocoon. Once a thriving urban community, residents were forced to leave after an attack from Pulsian forces. During the invasion, Pulse had ended up cracking Cocoon's shell, resulting in the Hanging Edge becoming a restricted zone that denied all access to the civilian populace. Eventually, the Hanging Edge had become nothing more than a dot on a map.<p>

How convenient that the Hanging Edge had been picked for the 'Purge' deportees, a perfect location to execute mass murder. It was the moment they crossed over from the wilderness to the Hanging Edge that Lightning saw her chance. The train, jolting as it shifted tracks, caused the Sergeant to stumble, giving her the split second she needed to launch her surprise assault.

Having a smaller body was to her advantage, making it easier to maneuver in tight spaces compared to her larger adversaries. Jumping from her seat, she slammed her shoulder hard against the recovering guard, followed closely with a powerful hook kick that easily broke his neck. Spotting the controls to their restraints, she quickly smashed it with her leather, combat boots. This was but a small victory, but an important one for her unspoken war against the Sanctum.

"She did it," the man shouted.

People quickly began tearing off their robes, standing around and causing an already chaotic situation to become more so. She wanted them to sit back down, but before she could shout a warning, more guards filtered into the compartment, drawn by the alarm triggered by her breaking the remote. Having very little time to react, and not wanting innocent people shot or harmed, she moved in for the kill. Luckily for her and the confused passengers, their weapons were trained solely on her. As they opened fire, she had just finished ripping off her robe and tossing it in the air, the bullets following the motion rather than the woman charging straight for them.

She used every skill she had ever learned, spinning with an outside crescent kick, and jumping back as their heads smashed against one another. The unknown man, Sazh, no longer had any doubts about Lightning, having made a spontaneous decision to follow her back in Bodhum. Why she had chosen to quit was still a mystery to him, but she hadn't appeared to be a criminal either. Soldier girl was easily over powering the Sanctum's 'best,' and without realizing it, had become a symbol of hope and the revolution she had started.

When PSICOM had first processed and boarded her onto the train, the civilians just assumed she was a prisoner awaiting transport. Only NORA recognized Serah's hell cat of a sister, and watching her take out PSICOM with little to no effort made them realize why Snow had wanted her so badly. Two of the operatives were none other than Gadot and Lebreau.

Sazh, meanwhile, checked on the other civilians. The Soldier girl was something else, moving as if she had been doing this her entire life. Where others might have found what she was doing difficult or impossible, she did with ease. Every move, every strike was perfectly executed, and it hadn't gone unnoticed.

All of them, with the exception of Snow, had had their doubts about Lightning, but today she had more than proven her value. Without their fearless leader, Gadot used her to spur the frightened passengers and younger Operatives into action. What the hell had Snow spent so much money on their training for if they were going to allow Soldier girl to get all the action?

Gadot, however, understood the enormity of what she had done. As a result of firing on her own, Lightning had signed her own death warrant. There would be no place to run or hide without PSICOM and/or the Sanctum trying to hunt her down, but she had known this the moment she had boarded the train. All of them had seen the same news cast that Lightning had, and watching PSICOM try to murder her sister had pushed Lightning past the point of no return.

Lightning had chosen the side of the people, refusing to abandon her sister, or to allow the murder of thousands. She could deal with treason, but not the sin of killing non-combatants of war. The longer she managed to survive, and the more Soldiers she killed, the harder her task would become. Sazh and the NORA operatives watched in stunned awe as she took out PSICOM, as if their numbers were nothing and their Soldiers like rookies straight out of training.

A young boy crouched in a corner, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs. Where the boy's parents were, was anyone's guess; if the kid even had any at this point. With the start of the 'Purge', entire families had been split apart, with no guarantee they'd find each other again. Kneeling, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gazed down at him much like a father would to his son. "You all right?" Sazh asked. "I'm not a l'Cie."

His pet chocobo chick chose that moment to pop it's head from Sazh's hair, flapping her baby wings. Momentarily distracted from the erupting violence around him, the boy simply smiled and giggled. Choosing that moment to truly show off PSICOM's lack of oversight, Lightning activated Antimatter Manipulation Principle (AMP) devices attached to her fingers.

If Sazh thought Lightning was lethal before, what she unleashed with the use of her AMP devices was nothing more than a trail of the dead, all of them the enemy. Anyone stupid enough to make Lightning their enemy, something the Sanctum had apparently done, courted death. Rushing past Gadot, he didn't have to wonder if she had noticed them or not, an assault rifle landing into the palm of his hands. Thankfully, her vendetta only concerned PSICOM and the Sanctum, not the civilians. Using her, Gadot called the passengers into action.

Ensuring for himself that all the women and children were safe, Sazh grabbed a handful of weapons for himself, a couple of rocket launchers and an assault rifle. He loved guns, always carrying one, but never imagined that he might one day have to use them against another human. Soldier or not, Sazh had to respect her combat skills; however, he had to keep in mind that someone who turned on their own, was someone to regard and follow with caution. "So far, so good."

In contrast to her field uniform, PSICOM wore heavy armor that restricted movement and line of sight. Using this to her advantage, Lightning targeted their eye sensory mechanisms first, quickly followed with a round of bullets to the chest. Finally catching up to her, the passengers lined up on the train walls, waiting for Lightning to make the next move. "They all want to fight," Sazh told her, not realizing that the men surrounding him, were all military trained civilians.

Never in her life, did Lightning consider others would follow her in a self-proclaimed revolution against the Sanctum, but considering their alternative options, they really didn't have much of a choice. She couldn't stay, not if she wanted to save Serah and glancing at Gadot, the acting Commander, he nodded his head, as if he understood the choices she had to make and the reasons behind them. Once freed from the train, Gadot would take over, leaving the fate of Bodhum in Nora's hands, while Serah's rested with Lightning.

Hoisting up her heavy weapon, she glared at the train compartment door; "Good for them." Taking a huge risk, Lightning opened the train door, her eyes going wide with shock at the site taking place before them. Anyone that had the ability to look outside their windows, saw the same as she, clearly at a loss on what was happening and why. Heavy fighting had erupted on almost every Aerorail, and for the first time, she realized that Cocoon was at war, the rest of the world unaware of the events transpiring before the people of Bodhum.

Lightning had not been the only one to make her stand, bullets and explosions flying overhead. These people, in their darkest hour, had made their choice; do nothing and die, or take up arms and become an involuntary Soldier of war. Was this NORA's doing? The collateral damage was astounding, and she could only gape at what she was seeing with open-mouthed astonishment. If the Sanctum still thought of Snow and NORA were insifnifcat, that was all about to change. Was Snow still alive? How the hell had he managed to finance this kind of training? Some of these people were truly putting up a good fight of their own, but the were using what little barricades they could find to fortify themselves against the incoming bullets and air strikes.

Watching these people fight with brave desperation, Lighting felt another wave of guilt consume her. The Corps should have been in NORA's place, but when Bodhum had needed them the most, they had been abandoned to PSICOM. If any managed to survive this day, Snow would have the fuel he needed for a revolution.

The Bodhum residents were refusing to give up, and watching this gave her new motivation to continue her search and rescue for Serah. Lightning would destroy the fal'Cie, and save Serah from a fate worse than death; turning Cie'th, or destroying Cocoon in order to fulfill an unwanted Focus. Glancing at the launcher on Sazh's back, she snatched it; "Give me that." One thing was for certain. She had to stop the train or risk getting them caught in the crossfire of the two opposing sides. Missing with the first shot, she started to reload when a Warmech changed its direction and headed straight for them, and fired at the rail line. With no way to shout a warning, the train flipped off the track to the one below, the train jolting as a the Warmech began ripping a hold in the sides and roof.

Already, Lighting knew that people had been killed, but she couldn't afford herself the luxury to mourn or feel sorry for these people. This was the uglier side of war, casualties happening all the time, especially those that had no business being involved. At least PSCIOM would think twice before purging another city, but the Sanctum would consider their losses as necessary. The Wyrven had still not released the train, waiting to kill people as they exited the wreckage. Lightning, normally wouldn't have cared, but allowing injured people to die, went against everything that she represented. A Soldier never turned her back on a fight, and most definitely didn't abandon those that couldn't protect themselves.

"Run!" Sazh cried out to her, but instead she calmly walked towards the machine's exit point, her sword drawn. "I meant _away!"_

That was the last thing she needed to do. A human might hesitate to take out fleeing or incapacitated targets, but not a machine. Programmed to kill, a target was a target, and a moving one was the perfect candidate for execution. Sazh, at this point, had a choice to make. Stay and risk his life and hope to make it out, or help Soldier girl and follow her instead. Forcing himself to stand, he climbed out of the wreckage and joined her, pulling out his favorite pistols. She had no idea how he had managed to hide them, but her level of respect grew as a result of his ingenuity.

The site of the monster was terrifying, but Sazh didn't run, defiantly standing his ground. The rail line shuddered beneath their feet, making his fear escalate even further. He hated heights, and he had no idea if he wanted to fight the monster, or fight the monster and suddenly fall to his death regardless? "Hey, hey, hey!" he roared at it. "Let's be rational now!"

Was he completely out of his mind? This was a PSICOM robot, programmed for one thing and that was to kill them and search for more targets. Sazh realized he sounded like an idiot, but he was scared and there was no going back to switch trains or wish he hadn't stayed for the Purge. There wasn't another train coming, every citizen of Bodhum either fighting, or lying beside them dead. The non-combatants would eventually have to make a choice, join those fighting, or face their inevitable deaths as well. Having no choice, he lifted and readied his weapon; "They're sending in the big guns now," he joked. "What do we do?"

"Watch and learn."

Sazh thought the thing was hideous, built like a Scorpion, but with a purpose to rip, shred and annihilate what ever it grabbed. It's tail was long and pointed at the end, each piece that represented a scale or ridge, razor sharp and designed to tear its target into pieces. Both its mechanical arms had four saw blades, and what the tail might grab or finish off, those things would.

The Warmech's first attack started with the saw blades cutting its way straight for her, but she was already flipping out of the way and landing in a crouch. Not one to waste time, she charged forward, swinging her blade at its head, knowing from her studies, this was the weakest point. Alone, this might have taken forever, or just bought the train occupants more time to escape. However, between herself and the civilian helping her, they easily started to over power it.

Suddenly, the monster stopped, flipping, and landing a bit further back onto the end of the train wreck. Her eyes going wide, she watched as its saw blades drove themselves deep into the roof, the thing intent on throwing it, and anyone still left in or on top over the edge and into the chasm below. She had no idea how far down the city went, but she wasn't about to find out, already running the other way. "Fall back!" she shouted, refusing to stop and look behind her. He was either going to listen, or go flying over the edge.

Glancing towards the further end of their rail line, she spotted Gadot and a few of the NORA operatives leading the survivors away form the Warmech. Their gazes connecting, Lightning and Gadot easily understood the other. He hadn't wanted to leave, but with so many injured and unarmed civilians, Gadot had little time to find them cover, weapons, and ammunition to defend against PSICOM. Unlike them, she was no longer tied to a military or government entity, which meant that she now had the ability to go after what they could not.

Snow, as agitating as he was, had definitely trained these kids well. Who would have thought that orphaned kids would do so well in a situation like this? Gadot was forced to take the well-being of the many over the well-being of the few as his top priority. Knowing this, Lightning also realized that if Snow was alive and among the deportees, he had no choice but to take command. A Commander never abandoned a fight for just one person, leaving the task of finding Serah to the rogue Soldier, Lightning Farron. Seen by the NORA operatives, she saluted them with her Gun Blade, just as she was reaching a safe distance from the Warmech and turned to once again face it.

The Warmech was struggling, as if it wasn't strong enough to lift it. Thinking the same thing, Sazh laughed at it and waved his guns around like some little kid, "not so tough now, huh?" Did he really have to taunt the thing? Lightning had to leave it to the in-experienced to make stupid comments, but now was not the time to correct him. "Hey, that wasn't like a challenge, now. All right?" Jerking its arms, the train car buckled and rippled like a wave, forcing them to once again take off running, but this time they didn't dare stop. "Time to go!" The train began to rise, bent in half, their section slanting in a downwards slope and towards the railway. A little slower than her, Sazh had to not only maintain his upright position, but continue to run before the thing tossed him. "I'm coming!"

_'He's not going to make it!'_ Without a second thought, she shouted, "jump!" On blind faith, having no choice but to trust her, he did as she said, landing hard on his feet. If he had waited any longer, he would have been falling to his death below, right along side the train and the dead still trapped inside. She couldn't stop to check on him, the enemy already powering up for a second assault. "Heads up," she warned.

Staggering back to his feet, his entire body hurting, Sazh was really starting to hate himself for hopping aboard her train. "This thing won't give up." She had to hand it to the guy. Men like him were hard to find, extremely valued by any military organization. Instead of tucking tail and running, he chose to pull out his pistols once again, and brace himself for the second round.

Tossing him a potion, she attacked once more without thinking of her own life. The thing had to go, or saving the Passengers would have been a wasted effort. In the end, as the thing fell, she watched with detached emotions. Lightning learned then, that she had what it took to survive, to fight through PSICOM and find her sister before it was too late. Collapsing to his rear, Sazh looked at her with a mixture of relief and awe. "Whew! We did it!" As much as she wanted to agree and congratulate him, Lightning knew they were only at the beginning of this mess. That Warmech was far from being the best PSICOM had to offer, and the longer they stayed in one location, the bigger the target they'd become. She hadn't come here to die in a fire battle between the two sides.

The man at this point had two choices to make; continue following her or go back with the other passengers. She would have preferred the latter, the man not her responsibility. However, he was a grown man, and the choices he made were not her concern. Watching her start to walk away, his momentary relief turned to disbelief and anger. "Aren't you supposed to protect civilians, Soldier? I mean you are Sanctum, aren't you? What're you doing trying to stop the Purge? Why don't you tell me that?"

She sighed, as if answering him was beneath her. Still, glancing towards him, her green eyes smoldering with rage; "I _was_ a Soldier." Offering no further explanation, she jumped to the platform below."

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" She didn't answer, and with the way she kept walking, he knew that if he didn't follow her now, he'd find himself left behind and forced to go with the other passengers. Like Lightning, he had his own reasons for boarding the train as well, and staying here wasn't going to accomplish them. Jumping into the palm of his hands, the baby Chocobo chirped at him, trying to offer him encouragement. "Chocobo, we just can't catch a break, can we?" Making a choice, the chocobo went back into his hair, and Sazh climbed down after the strange woman.


	3. Reflections - Part Two

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Two<strong>

Watching her drift back to sleep, Snow gently brushed aside her unusual colored hair. Snow never tired of this, still amazed that he had a chance with her, and he wasn't about to mess it up. The nightmares had still filtered past the mental barriers he had erected around her mind, but he had dampened them tremendously, making it easier for her to process and rationalize the terrible choices she had been forced to make over the last several centuries. In the past, he might have stayed out of her head, but not this time. If given a choice, Lightning Farron would never burden her friends or Snow with the weight and trauma of her past. He owed this woman so much, and if it was the last thing he ever did, he'd never allow her to fight alone again. It was foolish to make an empty promise of keeping her safe for eternity, that was not their curse or their fate.

"How is she?" Glancing up, he gave a strained smile towards Lightning's younger sister, not asking her to leave as she entered the room. Having Serah back had come as a shock to them all, everyone so afraid that everything was some sort of sick and twisted dream, and they'd wake to find themselves at the brink of destruction, or in the heart of Chaos. Hope had returned to his original age of 21, and life appeared almost normal. All of them knew better than to believe it'd last forever, but they'd take what was offered and enjoy it while it lasted.

"Dealing with the past several thousand years. It's hard for her to process all the mistakes, all the decisions she was forced to make, and she blames a lot of what happened upon herself."

"But..." Serah protested. "...doesn't she understand that all of our decisions were our choices to make, not just hers?"

"We all made mistakes," another voice answered, Serah tilting her head back towards her boyfriend. "We all decided our fates, and we each have to live with the results of them. However, what Lightning needs to contemplate, is how long ago would the world have ended had she done nothing at all? Would anything have changed? Would Cocoon have fallen if none of you had ever gone after Serah in the first place? Those are things we have to ponder, and if given the chance to do over, would we make the same choices? Would Lightning still go after Serah if she had to repeat events a second time?"

"Yes."

He had no idea how she had managed to awaken on her own, but Lightning wasn't exactly mortal. Her eyes missed nothing, not the sunlight that filtered its way into her room, nor the way Noel retained possession of Serah's hand within his own. She wanted to find it in herself to demand Noel not pursue her sister, but was it not Lightning's fault the two of them were now together? Had she not sent Noel through time to find and attempt to bring her to Valhalla? The guilt of what Lightning had done overwhelmed her, and without warning, she jerked out of Snow's grasp and took off running, tearing out the front door, and racing down the pavement without shoes. This happiness was not hers to have; she didn't deserve it, and the tears fell as she searched for a way to forget the catastrophic results her sins had caused. It was all her fault! All of it! The Purge! Her sister's death! The End of the World! Even Snow had almost paid with an eternity as a Cie'th, and her heart shattered into so many pieces there wasn't a chance of ever piecing it back together again.

Blinded with unending tears, Lightning stumbled and fell, scraping her arms and knees, but she didn't feel it compared to the pain in her soul. Why had they tried to save her? She wasn't worth... "Don't..." Light shouldn't have been surprised that he had managed to catch up, but Snow had never been one to turn his back on someone, especially the woman he had stubbornly pursued for thousands of years. "You were always my choice, from the very beginning," he confessed. "You were stubborn, defiant, and often so frustrating that I spent hours pounding away on a punching bag to help rid my desire to try all that much harder. At first I tried to convince myself it wouldn't work; you were part of the Sanctum Military, an organization that I distrusted and hated with every fiber of my being. All the intelligence in the world didn't tell me about Lightning Farron, who she was before the military, why she had chosen to move to Bodhum, and why she hid behind a name like Lightning instead of her birth name, 'Claire.' I couldn't figure out why you seemed so afraid of the Sanctum finding out Serah had joined NORA, and as stupid as the idea was at the time, Serah and I even went so far as to agree to a relationship to get something, anything of an emotional response from you."

She couldn't find the strength to stand, mesmerized by his voice and the way he slowly sat next to her. He did nothing more than stare up at the beautiful sky above them, amazed that it seemed so perfect. Why would he want her? She had said so many cruel things to him, even going so far as to hit him because of her own anger and failings. "Believe it or not, it was because of your anger that I didn't give up. If you had continued to feel nothing, you would have never given up your career with the Corps; you would have never followed Serah into the Vestige; and you wouldn't have fought for every soul to be reborn into a world that would have rejected them if anyone else had been tasked with the role of Savior."

"The world ending was my fault!"

"Are you so sure about that?" Snow demanded, his blue gaze demanding an honest answer. She wanted to shout yes, that if she hadn't messed with time, Caius would have never released a dark wave of Chaos, but then she paused. There was something she was forgetting, and they both knew it. The decay and the destruction of the world had begun long before Caius and herself had clashed together in Valhalla. "I believe we all have a very different story to tell, and before you demand I place judgment, you're going to face it and then tell me if I'm not right for choosing what I believe is still worth fighting for." Snow gently caressed her cheek, his voice reaching through the storm of emotions in her mind, as it had done so many times before in their long past; "I'm not giving up, not now, and not tomorrow."

"Snow..." He hated seeing how broken she appeared, no longer the Savior all of them saw her as, but a young woman that had never been allowed to cry or mourn the loss of her sister, never allowed to regret the death of so many at her hands. Would she make the same choices; more than likely... His only regret was that she had been forced to make them by herself. She had been there for them every time; and as a single tear slid down his cheek to fall, he could only ask himself why none of them had been there for her? Who saved the Savior? Who did Lightning have in the darkness, and he shuddered at the thought that they had almost lost her forever; if Hope and himself not gone back for her, risking being reborn in the new world...

Unable to stop himself, he gathered her close, so terrified that if he let her go, she'd vanish like she had that day shortly after finding themselves on Gran Pulse, just after Vanille and Fang had saved the world. "I'm never letting you go, Light;" he only hoped that he'd be able to keep that promise.

* * *

><p>Serah and Noel rose from their chairs, uncertainty in their expressions as Snow entered their home, Lightning already asleep again. "Should we have waited for her to find out?" Serah asked. Snow didn't know what to think anymore, but he had to believe Lightning was strong enough to endure and surpass the tragedies they had all suffered. "I need the others; all of them."<p>

"But..."

"We can't abandon her, not this time. Please..."

Noel sighed, nodding before taking Serah's hand and once again leaving Lightning alone with her protector. '_Some protector.._.' Moving to the larger sofa, he sat, adjusting Light until she sat curled against him, her expression almost peaceful. He knew better than to think it'd last, Lightning already slipping back into the past, back to where they were back on the Hanging Edge, fighting through PSICOM, and fighting against a fate none of them understood or asked for.


	4. Fields Of War

(Fields of War)

* * *

><p><strong>The Day Before<strong>

As Lightning made her way across the Hanging Edge, she reflected upon the day prior to the 'Purge.'

She had a temper, not something she denied when asked about her flaws. It was the only way she knew how to deal with feelings of surprise or grief. Maybe there was something wrong with her. Unlike other women, she seldom smiled or laughed, and she never cried. Her words to Serah that morning had been proof enough, and she hadn't bothered to chase after her, despite the flicker of unease that perhaps Serah and Snow weren't lying. Snow, normally filled with optimism and arrogance, had played his part flawlessly, his expression that of pure frustration. However, if Serah truly was a l'Cie, why would he propose to her? It was ludicrous, and no one in their right mind would have done so. Protecting Serah, Lightning would have understood and accepted, but not: '_I'm a l'Cie, therefore Snow and I are getting married._'

Either they were both telling the truth, or they considered her a complete fool. Before they had started dating, Lightning had tried her best to ignore the towering blond, the way he carried himself, and how everyone seemed to idolize and worship the ground he walked upon. She should have been able to congratulate Serah's happiness, but she couldn't accept the two of them as a couple. With Snow, from the moment of their first face-to-face encounter, he always somehow managed to get an emotional response out of her, and never a pleasant one. Around him, years of maintaining a cool and detached demeanor dissolved. Snow seemed oblivious to the harsh realities of life; passionate and stubborn to a fault.

After that meeting, she spent more hours than she cared to admit on what bothered her the most about NORA's Commander. Minus the fact that he was dating her younger sister, she first concentrated on his choice of attire. He wore a heavy, white biker's jacket, with a crazy design on the back. On his head, was a black bandanna, making it almost impossible to know if he was partially bald, or just simply needing a hair cut. His hands had a pair of black gloves, which didn't bother her so much, as did his hideous boots. If anyone's choice of clothing or uniform made absolutely no sense, it was Snow Villiers. And he was supposed to be a para-military Commander? Leaders dressed sharply, with not a spec of dirt to be found on them, but Snow was the type that didn't give a damn about what he, or anyone else in NORA wore. How the hell did Snow expect her to join NORA, when her entire world revolved around control and structure?

That had been her first sore point. Despite his lack of military dress, however, all of Bodhum and NORA loved and respected him. They'd follow him to the ends of the world. She had not been so fortunate. One, she was a woman in what was considered a 'man's' profession. If she wanted respect, unlike Snow, she had to fight for every inch of it and never show any sign of weakness to exploit. Second, she had far too many that rather see her fail than to continue her climb through the ranks. Lightning maintained a perfect record, always in uniform, and always a Soldier. She gave no room to question her motives or behavior, and as a result, superiors allowed Lightning to surpass her peers far ahead of schedule. The Soldiers, all male, hated that she had rank over them at all, but it seemed Snow had little care in the world about women leading in his organization. In fact, from the little Serah had told her, Snow and Gadot swiftly dealt with any and all disrespect towards the females serving in the various squads that fought monsters outside of Bodhum.

Snow, from the very beginning of their first encounter, made it quite clear about his feelings towards Lightning's career with the Sanctum. He hated them, and never bothered to hide that fact from her. Prior to meeting him, Snow was just another name or face in the crowds; all of which she avoided. After that meeting, Snow made it a personal goal to cross paths with her, taking those brief moments to get a verbal jab in, his voice always thick with contempt. If lightning tried to defend her decisions, any shred of compassion or politeness instantly vanished, Lighting catching a glint of raw hatred in his perfect, blue eyes, as if he wanted to physically challenge her about her loyalty towards the Sanctum and the fallacy behind it. They both knew that Lightning Farron hated the Sanctum as much as Snow, but where Snow had nothing to loose; Lightning had everything.

When Snow wasn't badgering her about who she worked for, she contemplated that her distress and confusion wasn't the clothes that he wore that bothered her. Moving on to her second issue with Snow, was the fact that he managed and operated a fully trained military organization that the Sanctum, PSICOM, and the Corps refused to recognize. The Sanctum normally would have stomped it out in the early stages of development, but as far as the government was concerned, Snow was an outstanding citizen that only had the people's best interest in mind, his only targets being the wildlife outside of Bodhum. Troops were hard to fund and supply, so if NORA wanted to step up and offer their assistance, the Sanctum had chosen not to interfere. However, after Serah had joined their ranks, Lightning knew more about NORA than the Sanctum was prepared to deal with. If Snow acted on his hatred, a lot of people were going to die as a result.

Snow didn't take his teams to just hunt wildlife; he was teaching them tactical and maneuvering skills that equaled, if not surpassed her own training within the Corps. She had no idea what had possessed herself to confront Snow about NORA's intent, sliding her investigation right in front of him. Instead of denying her accusation, she saw him smirking at her in amusement. 'If she had been so concerned, why hadn't she gone to Lieutenant Amodar with her suspicions and findings?' To this day, she had no idea why she hadn't, and without a care in the world, he handed back the file and told her to keep it; 'she might want it for further research.' Was it the rage that made her so uneasy, the gaze that seemed to stare directly into her soul? No, she didn't like or agree with the government either, but to defy them was suicidal. She already knew the cost of defying them, and she couldn't afford to pay a second time.

A deep part of Lightning wanted what Snow offered and had; a place of belonging and acceptance. If she felt that he didn't care for female Soldiers, all she had to do was look at those serving in his higher command echelon. One of the founders was a female, Snow's second-in-command's girlfriend, Lebreau. Every member of NORA provided an essential necessity to the organization, making them all the more dangerous. If she really thought about it though, it wasn't the first or the second reason that had her wanting to run as far and as fast as she could from Snow. Before Snow, she could maintain an emotional distance from everything and everyone around her. So why was it so hard around him?

It was easy when she had no idea what she had never craved or desired, but Snow had awakened the side of herself that she had long since buried. Why did she have to crave what Serah had? Everything about Snow fascinated her, his mind, his tactical and strategical abilities, and the respect he had throughout Bodhum. He was everything that she could have been. Snow was a force to reckon with, and just his name generated a level of awe and respect. The people loved him, there was no denying that fact, but they also feared earning his disapproval and what it meant should he withdraw his funding and protection. Why couldn't the Sanctum see that? And, yet, at the same time, because of Serah, she hoped that they never did. Snow, if anyone, was Lightning's ticket to freedom. However, it wasn't about herself, but what she risked to lose if she accepted NORA's offer to turn her back on the Sanctum.

Snow's more than obvious hatred of the Sanctum had her fearing for Serah's safety, pleading with him to let her be. Why the two of them were a couple, was a mystery to Lightning; it wasn't because of love. Snow threatened to break down her perfectly controlled world, and if she didn't find a way to put an emotional distance between Snow and herself, she'd never recover once he walked out of her life. Right now, the only that thing that kept them connected was her younger sister, Serah.

As she opened her birthday gift, she briefly wondered about the curse and if they had told her the truth? Whether or not Snow loved her sister, wasn't the issue. Snow took care of his own, and if Serah was a l'Cie, how better to hide and protect her, than to make Serah his wife? With a great sigh, she finished opening the box, freezing in stunned astonishment. The knife staring back at her was no where near as sharp as the one twisting inside of her heart. This gift had not been Serah's idea, but Snow's. But why? It was carefully designed, fit for a fighter of Lightning's caliber, not something Serah could have afforded.

Rather than give it to Lightning himself, as if he knew the trouble it would have gotten her in, he had given it to Serah to present. What were the two trying to do, and why? It was like they both saw through the fear she tried to hide; she couldn't let this continue, but as her fingers curled around the knife, she already knew that it was too late.

Moments later, the television blared to life, and she watched in horrified terror as Snow dragged her sister through the Bodhum streets, PSICOM firing at her with the intent to kill. '_No!'_ It was in that moment she understood the critical error she had made by choosing not to abandon the Sanctum, the entity that had stolen her parents from her. _'They promised to never touch her!'_

* * *

><p>Now here she was, walking the once abandoned aerorails of the Hanging Edge. She felt as if she had touched a piece of history, this place once a city within a city, and built above the surface of Lake Bresha. She had no idea how long it had taken to build, and just like that, another war erupted all around it, destroying what remained of this vast relic. Aerorails had collapsed, and the survivors of Bodhum, civilians and operatives alike, took cover behind debris and wreckage as they fought back against PSICOM's increasing numbers. Lightning, as much as she sympathized with their desperate situation, had only one task. She had no intentions of leaving here, not without Serah. Everything else was a distraction, and if the man from the train was crazy enough to follow, who was she to stop him?<p>

Sazh on the other hand, and not for the first time that day, contemplated his decision to follow someone that didn't seem intent on running away. Any soldier or monster caught in her path was eliminated. Why was she fighting against the Sanctum, the 'Purge', and what had they done to incur her personal wrath? She possessed so much rage, fueling her drive across the Hanging Edge, and using her blade, drew very little attention to them; not like the Bodhum resistance that was taking place above and below them. Striking up a conversation with her was just as pointless; he'd have better luck making friends with the enemy. "You sure we can get through here?"

Lightning was determined to make her way through, and if something blocked her path, she moved it out of her way, or simply went above or around it. More often than not, she kept silent, leaving Sazh to ask questions more for his own benefit than Lightning's. "This is a mess is what this is." She had to agree with him, but unless she held false ideologies that they could save the world, they had very little control over their current situation. All they could do was continue moving forward. Explosions vibrated across the Aerorails, but mostly due to missing their targets than to take them out. Sazh talked to himself in order to think his way out of complex situations, and this one was high on his priority list. He had no one to blame for his predicament but himself. One, she had warned him not to follow her back in Bodhum, and he hadn't listened. Second, he had believed the government when they had said the deportation of Bodhum was headed straight for Pulse, not death row. Why was PSICOM trying to kill them, and why did Soldier girl not seem surprised?

There were bodies everywhere, civilians and Soldiers alike. Cocoon hadn't fought a war in centuries, the reality more terrifying and heart breaking than he could have ever imagined on his own. Sazh had been a law abiding citizen his entire life, never committing a single infraction. So how was he suddenly fighting on the opposite team, battling for his life, and with no guarantee he'd make it out of this mess. He had no choice; the enemy now quite clear. PSICOM didn't seem to care if train occupants were on their side or not. Like it or not, it was kill or be killed, and Sazh preferred that it wasn't himself.

Passing a blue energy field, "Hm. What do you suppose this is? Is the army leaving its toys out now?" One thing was certain, PSICOM guarded each one they passed, and later he found out it was some sort of portal device for their bio-weapons, allowing quick deployment to combat against the growing hostilities between the citizens and PSICOM. The beauty of PSICOM intelligence, was the technology they developed over the centuries, one of them being the transporter strategically placed across the Hanging Edge. In essence, PSICOM had the ability to replace their numbers indefinitely, while Bodhum residents did not.

Surging a head, not caring if he kept up or not, she easily jumped over things that he had to climb. "Hey! Wait up now!" Lightning had only one rule, spoken or unspoken, and that was keep up, or get left behind to fend for yourself. "Hey now," she shouted a second time. Lightning growled in frustration. Now was not the time for breaks or pep talks, and Sazh, against her advice, had chosen to follow rather than go his own way. In her opinion, Sazh was his own responsibility and he needed to account for himself and maintain the brutal pace she set. "Fixing to ditch me already, huh?" That had been her plan, but he wasn't exactly making that easy on her.

Lightning for the most part, if she chose to fight, simply cut down her enemy as if they were nothing more than a nuisance. For the Soldiers that they found caught off guard, Sazh and herself were simply gone before they had a chance to shoot. Instead of slowing down, Sazh did the opposite, afraid of what might happen if he found himself abandoned in their midst.

Making her job that much easier was the uniform she wore. Guardian Corps or not, the fact that she wore Sergeant Insignia, went a long way to making it easy to dash past the PSICOM check points and disappear before they realized that she didn't belong. Guardian Corps had specific instructions to pull out of Bodhum, but Lightning had refused, and now she was in the fight for her life, the stakes too high for her to die between the two opposing sides. "Unbelievable. This place is a war zone. Guess no one's going to Pulse without a fight."

_'Was he just now figuring that out?_ She wondered. This wasn't exactly her idea of a vacation spot, nor was it a simulation exercise. Real people were dying, and it was real people that would continue to suffer if she didn't find her sister and find a way to end this madness. There were flying recon units everywhere, sporadically firing at the Aerorails, regardless if they were friendly or not. According to Sanctum logic, loss of life was a necessary evil if one wanted to neutralize a particularly dangerous situation; for example, people turning into Pulse l'Cie. "I do _not_ like low-flying things trying to kill me!"

Lightning prided herself on her tactical speed and intelligence, one of the reasons Snow had tried to recruit her. Why he thought he'd succeed was beyond her comprehension. What had Serah told him that had made him so determined? "Don't you go ignoring me now!" She had been trying to, but he made that an impossible task. Short of killing him herself, she had little choice but to endure his antics.

Sazh, thankfully, didn't need a crash coarse on the sneak tactics, always ready to duck behind something and allow Lightning to make the decisions; engage, or continue running past the sentry points. If the Soldiers were heavily armed and alert, she often chose to take them out as quickly as possible, but if they were lazy and inattentive, she didn't waste the time to fight. Preemptive strikes were always her preferred method of combat, a sure way to defeating her target. Coming to another warp gate, she paused for a couple of reasons. One, it gave Sazh the ability to catch his breath, and second, to give her a moment to analyze how strong her adversaries were.

The Soldier standing next to a portal was definitely more aware than the others had been, his weapon slightly raised, and scanning the perimeter. It was a shame really. Good Soldiers like this one were hard to find, but the Sanctum had dealt their hand, and the lines of friend and foe were clear. This Soldier needed to die, but just as she was prepared to engage, several PSICOM Pantherons jumped through the portal and onto the platform.

Still, there was so much gun fire and explosions around them, that she doubted if they would pin point their location through his inability to silence his breathing. "Not wanting to get Purged I get," he gasped, hands resting on his knees, "but taking on trained Soldiers?"

What the hell did he think she was, a student from some local university? Sazh had no idea what she was capable of or willing to do. A few hours ago, none of this would have been on the table for discussion. However, the moment PSICOM had opened fire upon Serah, she no longer had a reason to remain loyal. Light answered to no one now, and that included to Sazh. Pausing like this wasn't a good idea, not when the unnecessary time had her reflecting about past events and her future actions. A wave of guilt washed over her, and it didn't make it any better when she watched people falling from the rails and to their deaths below.

Only one person would have seen through her, but she feared another encounter far more than her need to apologize. If he hadn't proposed to Serah out of love, was it really because he had wanted to keep her safe? Nothing he did added up! First, how had he found out about her? Second, there was the knife. What was he after? It was all too much for her to process, happening so fast, but that didn't matter right now. She had to force herself into the here and now, to continue moving until she reached her destination.

The day after her sister had been taken, the citizens of Bodhum had been rounded up, processed like criminals, and herded onto the train destined for Pulse. At least that had been what the Sanctum had told the rest of Cocoon. Judging from the intense fire fight waging all around them, PSICOM had no intentions of allowing a single deportee out of here a live.

The citizen's of Cocoon knew nothing of the 'land below,' and Pulse as they knew it, possessed undocumented creatures and dangers. Growing up on these stories, it was understandable that anything mentioned or tied to Pulse was instantly rejected with hatred and fear, never once considering that the people whom might one day find themselves a fal'Cie slave was just as helpless as the people being brutally slaughtered.

These people, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have fought back, but they hadn't known the Sanctum would authorized their executions either. They had watched PSICOM gun down anyone trying to run back at the train station in Bodhum, and unable to fight back, they had been given no choice but to board the trains. Lightning had changed all of that, and she could only hope it had been enough for a handful of them to manage to escape and survive. She had her doubts. PSICOM was extremely efficient at cleaning up the Sanctum's mistakes.

She flinched as a young child fell over the edge; PSICOM didn't care whom died; a target was a target. These people were expendable, and even if Serah hadn't become a l'Cie, Lightning knew she could have never gone this far to eradicate a possible threat to Cocoon. Had Snow somehow survived? If he had, was he fighting for his life with the people of Bodhum, or making his way across the Aerorails towards Serah? Lighting forced herself to concentrate on the present. If Snow had survived, he more than likely was with the people, unable to abandon them in their darkest hours.

In all his years as a civilian pilot, Sazh had never met a Soldier with a one tracked mind like Lightning's. Sure, there had been a couple that were tougher than nails, but she didn't seem to care about anything. Her gaze was often distant, her complexion pale, but she fought with a vigor and ferocity that shocked and terrified him. Where her appearances seemed deceptively calm and lethargic, the speed at which she moved and attacked told a completely different story.

Sazh doubted that she had ever had a partner to have her back, and he was most certainly not the most qualified for the job. Lightning fought as if she were always alone, but if she did remember his presence, she would give him tactical advise. She didn't use words, but actions as her teaching tool. It wasn't the way to train someone, but when one was thrust into a war with no warning, you had to deal with what you were dealt and complain about it later.

The second detail he noted about his silent companion, was her lack of information. Try as he could, he had no idea why she would go to such lengths to defy a military she had raised her sword for, why she seemed violently opposed to the Purge, and why they seemed to be finding more Soldiers and not less. One thing was certain, she trusted no one, but after awhile, she had reluctantly agreed that fighting PSICOM was definitely more advantageous with him around than on her own.

The Hanging Edge, once a significant place in Cocoon's history and culture, now only held a place on a map or in school books. Centuries ago, after a bloody and terrible war, known as the War of Transgression, the citizens of Cocoon had fled the Hanging Edge, leaving it a desolated ruin where 'Purge' deportees were sent to the world below.

Cocoon had been created by a fal'Cie a long time ago, but had withdrawn to allow the governance of the world to fall upon the Sanctum. The Sanctum wrote and enforced every law, to include full control over the military. There was no such thing as a free democracy, and those that challenged the rules, were taken care of; for example - 'The Purge'. Overseeing the government, was Primarch Galen Dysley, but few claimed to have met him in person, his voice usually filtering over a radio or a news broadcast.

Until now, Sazh had always just assumed that 'The Purge' meant inhabitants were sent to Pulse, meaning there was no chance of them harming Cocoon like during the War of Transgression. He had no idea that it was something like this. After the Pulse fal'cie had been discovered outside the city of Bodhum, a quarantine net had been thrown around the city, and a unanimous vote had been cast upon the citizens without ever thinking of the consequences. And he had been like them.

Behind the boulder was a PSCIOM warden, guarding some sort of blue transporter that was bringing in terrifying machine beasts. He expected her not to answer his earlier comment, but she surprised him when she did; "Better to die than get sent to Pulse. It's hell without the brimstone," quoting what she had heard in the Academy.

Sazh fought the urge to start hysterically laughing. Apparently her definition of hell was something completely different than his own. "Yeah, well, hell's not sounding too bad. 'Cause this place ain't exactly paradise."

She rolled her eyes, a small smile curving at the corners of her mouth. Normally he might have breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing her smile, it just made his fear escalate. He had no idea what her life had been like for the past six years. What he thought of as hell, she lived and breathed. The last thing she wanted was to die on Pulse, but with her sister. Her blue eyes sparked with defiance, her gaze on the arriving PSICOM militarized units. "Domesticated peacekeepers. Nothing to worry about."

Sazh, despite his misgivings, once again found himself grateful he had followed her. If he had stayed behind with the other civilians, his chances of survival would not have had him making it this far; he didn't have to agree with her reason for doing things, but he did agree that he wanted to live and it was through her. "Maybe not for a Soldier girl, but - hey!" she took off, Sazh quietly shouting at her to wait up.

Despite it all, the group was relatively easy to handle. What surprised Sazh was how bad she made them look. PSICOM was supposedly the better part of the military, but he was quickly figuring out how out dated they had become, while the Corps had remained in tip top fighting condition. Where they lacked advanced weaponry, the Corps made up with other means of survival. Taking a few steps further ahead, a powerful blast slammed into the road way, causing it to rip apart.

Everything was a nightmare. Where the Trussway had been, several people had just fallen to their deaths, screaming as they disappeared into the darkness. Would he have been one of them? The thought horrified him, and one glance towards his mysterious companion, told him that it had effect her as well. Her gaze focused on the other side; "Do we turn back?" What were their chances of survival now? As good as she was, even Lighting was prone to battle fatigue.

Lighting had no idea if it was better that she knew had fallen or not; would one of them have been Snow? "There's no time," she snapped. Walking to the very edge, she concentrated. Jumping from this distance was insane, but what options did she have?

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Quiet!" She really had one choice, and snapping her fingers, a burst of AMP energy surrounded her, and just as she prepared to launch herself to the other side, Sazh grabbed her, terrified that if she left him, he'd die.

Rushing forward, sheer desperation fueling him, "Hey! Hey! Wait! No, no, don't leave me!"

"Let go!" she shouted, shaking with rage.

"Hell no, you're my only of here!" He knew she had the ability to kill him, but instead of raising her sword, she kneed him hard in the chest and back handed him across the face, easily felling him to the ground. Snapping her fingers again, the energy didn't return, leaving her just as stranded as Sazh. His body hurt like hell, but at least he wasn't kneeling here, alone and without a way out. She swore, but whatever had just happened, had already passed and gone. At least she wasn't holding a grudge. He pointed at a large moving bridge, trying to distract her from trying to jump across the gaping ravine again. "What about that thing? Right?"

"Looks that way," she sighed. It was just as well he had tried to stop her. If her AMP had died after only a brief encounter, then she'd have only made it a quarter of the way before falling to god knows where. He pushed aside his pain, knowing if he said anything right now, she'd definitely reconsider about letting him tag along. Holding his arm, he forced himself to continue.


	5. Reflections - Part Three

**Reflections - (Present)**

* * *

><p><strong>Part Three<strong>

Several hours later, she woke, briefly catching an image in Snow's mind before leaving him on the couch to sleep, one that had her biting her bottom lip. Lightning hadn't spent a lot of time exploring their new world, nor did she have a clue about money or shopping. Her closet was pitifully bare, having nothing other than a single night piece, a business suit, and a t-shirt or two.

"You have that look..." Startled from her thoughts, Light turned her head, a sad smile forming at the corners of her mouth. She loved her sister more than anything, and it still amazed Light that Serah had been able to forgive what had happened. Even Noel seemed to have forgiven her, and she had to glance away before the guilt overwhelmed her again.

A pair of arms wrapped around her slender waist, and she looked into the mirror to see Serah hugging her, her forehead pressed against Lightning's shoulder blades. "You can't blame yourself for the choices we both made."

"But..."

"Sis... I knew that if Noel and I killed Caius, the future would change and I would see it. Fang and Vanille... they were still inside the pillar; should I have left them there? Would you have left them?"

"The world still ended..."

"Yeah... I guess it did. However, if I had done nothing, it would have ended the day Cocoon fell. I simply bought Pulse more time."

Noel glanced through Lightning's open dressers and closet, a frown forming on his face; "You really don't have a lot to wear, do you?"

"I've always been in uniform..."

"Noel... You think the gang would mind..."

Whirling around, she grabbed Serah's arms... "They're here... I mean NORA... They're all..."

"Yep!" Serah smiled, laughter sparkling in her eyes. "They're all alive, thanks to Vanille."

"Yuj is the fashion expert, and he'd know better than most what a certain someone would like best on her," Noel admitted.

"My clothes are fine," Light protested, but they all knew she was lying and pathetically at that.

"Do you want to throw Snow a curve ball, take the initiative with him for once, or allow him to keep setting the pace," Serah demanded, hands on her hips. "He's not a jewelry and perfume type of guy; I think you already know that."

"That's what I don't understand! Why me?! Other than fighting, I have no idea what he likes, what he wants... how to rid him of the sorrow he tries so hard to hide..."

"We can start with a new set of clothes," Noel suggested, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

Pulling out some sort of phone from her pocket, Serah started talking to someone... it sounded like Gadot. "Thanks, we'll be waiting outside." Grabbing Lightning's hand, she started to drag her from the house.

"Wait... Where..."

"To the mall of course. We can't surprise Snow if you stay in that house all the time; did you have another birthday idea in mind?"

Was it really his birthday? She had no idea, but she did know that he probably didn't have a lot of good ones, not since the 'Purge'; everything since had been one fight after the next, and she suddenly had a desire to see that smile on his face, the one without fear or doubt. "Are you sure about what he wants?"

"No, but the gang... well, they know Snow better than anyone, especially Gadot. Just promise not to argue; if he says Snow will like something, you need to trust him."

"I thought you said he didn't like jewelry or perfume?" Light protested, surprised that she was still going along with this idea.

"He doesn't; but I never said anything about clothes and certain other things that get his attention. He knew what to buy for your birthday because you two liked the same things. Keep that in mind and you'll find yourself surprised that you two have a lot more in common than you originally thought."

"So he did buy the knife."

Serah nodded, and just as Light was about to ask what they were waiting for, Gadot, Yuj, and Lebreau arrived on their motorcycles. One glance at Serah's sister, and all of them flinched; "You weren't joking about her needing an upgrade," Gadot commented. Tossing Lightning a helmet, Lebreau gave her bike over to Noel and Serah, while she hopped behind Yuj. She would have thought Lebreau would ride with her boyfriend, and as if he could read her thoughts, Gadot shook his head; "Not a chance! Something happens to you, and we might as well sign our own death warrants." Putting on her helmet, he waited for Lightning to get comfortable before starting up the bike and taking off. Not liking the lack of control, she hugged Gadot that much tighter, wanting, but not daring to hit Gadot when he started laughing at her. "You never were able to trust anyone," Gadot commented, "Not that I could blame you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ask Snow; he's the one that should tell you and why he was so determined to get you away from the Sanctum." They rode in silence for awhile longer, but Gadot seemed to have a lot of questions of his own; "What was the deal with you and that guy? Snow's reaction was hilarious, and he had a hard time believing you'd simply take off with a random stranger the way you did."

"He kind of tagged along. I should have just thrown him over the edge, as annoying as he was, but in the end, we needed him as much as he needed us."

"You've changed, Light. Not sure if it's for the best or not, yet. Just promise not to hurt the boss and I won't have to toss you off the bike and run you over."

Lightning didn't want to hurt anyone, not anymore, but would she be able to stop herself? She had no idea, and her thoughts drifted once again back to the past, her cheek pressed against Gadot's larger back as they rode through the crowded streets.


	6. Another Rebellion

Another Rebellion

* * *

><p><strong>Lightning &amp; Sazh<strong>

Wanting to prove his worth, afraid she'd reconsider and try to leave him again; he rushed towards the sky bridge: "All right, you leave this to me!" She just wanted silence, but that was kind of difficult when they were in the middle of a war. After dispatching another group of Pantherons and Soldiers, they jumped on board, Sazh was looking in at the bridge consoles; "Seems to be in working order." Sazh had to believe that she'd find other assets just as useful as fighting, and he wouldn't hesitate to show her. Whatever was driving her, despite her above average fighting skills, would eventually get her killed if she continued to refuse assistance. Activating the console, they effortlessly made their way over to another sky-bridge, and she finally admitted to herself that she couldn't get to Serah on her own; Sazh was all that she had.

Arriving to the other sky-bridge, they jumped onto the platform, only to find themselves coming across more Soldiers. Lightning felt a twinge of uneasiness. Up until now, they're major obstacles and opponents had been mechanical monsters, PSICOM enforcers and rangers. Why was one of PSICOM's elite Soldiers here? Was he here awaiting the arrival of the Pulse Vestige? "This is not our lucky day." She couldn't disagree with that statement, unfortunately. However, things weren't going to get any better; instead they were going to get a lot worse before they either got to the end of their destination, or died. "He's a Soldier, too, right? Can't you like, pull some strings or something?" One, it wasn't that simple, nor was it like that with the military. Second, she was not PSICOM, nor was she supposed to be here. Guardian Corps had been given strict instructions to pull out of Bodhum; she had ceased being a Soldier the moment she had gone against the Purge and after her sister.

Spotting them, the Elite Solider stopped what he was doing to address them. "Deportees are we?" In his hand, he held some kind of staff, and he lifted it, it extended with spikes at the end. "Weapons down," he ordered. "I'd hate for this to turn ugly."

Lightning recognized him as one of PSICOM's elite warriors, but explaining all of this to Sazh would only confuse him. However, if she ever had the chance, she would have to explain the key differences of each military component. They were 'not' the same. "Uh... 'turn, ugly,'" he asked, taking a step back. She glared at him, her expression saying it all. Their only choice was down or forward; one more step back and he'd find himself at the bottom with the rest of the dead.

Taking a step towards the Soldier, she pulled out her gun blade, twirling it with a practiced ease. Were all Soldiers like her; or was she unique? He didn't spend a lot of time with her kind, but she had to be like the first, female, foot Soldier;he had ever come encountered. Most worked behind a desk or a computer, not directly on the front lines. She was most definitely good at what she did though, better than PSICOM's supposed best. "He wants to kill us without a fight," she growled. _'Not bloody happening,'_ she thought to herself.

The Marauder, not caring if they wanted to fight or not, charged. The enforcers didn't appear as enthusiastic about engaging them. Something was off about these two; why were they by themselves and not with the rest of the deportees? Instead of escaping, they were in the middle of PSICOM operations, and apparently having gone unnoticed up until this point. "Time's up!"

The fight, like all the others, was far too easy. Almost disappointed, she sheathed her blade at the end of the fight and stared down at the enemy with bitter contempt. Sazh on the other hand, wanted to find a quiet spot and breakdown. At least she was making everything easier than it would have been if he had stayed with the deportees. Was she finally going to let him keep tagging along?

Moving to the control console, he decided now was as good of an opportunity to demand answers to some of his questions. "So, Soldier... What's your angle?" The direct approach might provide better results, but when she remained silent, he almost gave up in defeated exhaustion. Lightning hadn't asked him to come with her, and she had no reason to trust or confide in him. It was also entirely possible that she had no idea how to socialize with anyone, and she definitely couldn't have any friends with the way she executed her every action, as if she had never once fought a battle with another having her back.

Sazh wasn't a fool to think that they'd become best friends or anything, but it would have made all of this easier if she had been a little less intimidating and didn't have the 'I have nothing to lose,' attitude. "What, is it classified military info?" Was she afraid of getting into more trouble for confiding in someone? It wasn't like she wasn't in enough of it as it is; killing her own the way she had been. Why was she so angry at PSICOM and the Sanctum?

He didn't understand the military language on the console, but he was more interested in his silent companion at the moment than getting it going. Could he afford to keep putting his faith and trust in her? "What's it matter? You quit didn't you? You think I'm gonna go out there and just tell your secret?"

Her gaze, focused on nothing in particular, she finally spoke, her voice so quiet that he strained to hear her; "The Pulse fal'Cie."

"Wha-?" To stunned to say anything else, he simply stared at her dumb-founded.

Turning completely to face him, she reinforced her previous statement; "My 'angle.' I'm after the fal'Cie." Sazh had no idea what he had been expecting, but the fal'Cie had not crossed his mind. He thought her vendetta had been against the Soldiers attacking unarmed civilians, or that she was opposed to the citizens being shipped off to Pulse; but why would she attack all of PSICOM in order to go after the same thing they were trying to ship off Cocoon? Or did she know something that he didn't? Sazh had boarded the train for reasons of his own, but after PSICOM had begun killing people, all he had wanted was a way out of this mess. He had assumed that was her intent as well; she wasn't trying to escape. Instead, she was heading towards the heart of PSICOM operations, straight for the Pulse fal'Cie, and it didn't look like she was looking for it to become friends.

Moving to the console, she easily understood and manipulated it, making him feel even more inadequate than he already did. What had caused her to become so cold towards everyone? It wasn't normal, and he knew what it was like being alone. After the loss of his wife, he had felt utterly devastated, but at least he still had his son. Who did this woman have?

The sides of the sky-bridge lowered, activating the engines and turned easily towards where ever it's pre-programmed coordinates had it going. "Still happy you tagged along?"

Sazh started to wonder if he made a terrible mistake. Even if he wanted to change his mind at this point, it was too late. "Didn't have a choice," he whispered, his voice sounding defeated and tired. How were two people supposed to make a difference? Their future looked bleak, but had they stood any better of a chance if they had stayed with the other deportees? Lightning had decided her path, and rather than run or hide, she was meeting her destiny head on. The difference between Lightning and other people was that she had a goal, something to drive her forward when others would have simply given up.

* * *

><p><strong>Snow<strong>

The first time he had seen her, Snow found himself at a complete loss for words. Sure, he liked women; he never had any trouble getting a date. However, he never stayed with one for more than a night, and definitely never long enough to consider buying them a gift or settling down. With Lightning, his soul ached, and he had no idea why. It wasn't even the fact that she had said anything, quite the opposite. She went out of her way to avoid him, and the harder she tried to ignore him, the more determined he became at figuring her out and getting her attention.

He should have just left her alone. Lightning Farron was part of the Sanctum Military, an entity he had hated since he was 16 years old, but after meeting her younger sister, it just didn't add up. Serah, like most of the kids that filled NORA's ranks, was an orphan, raised and cared for by her older sister. Having no choice, Lightning had been forced to join the Guardian Corps, or lose her sister to the Sanctum facilities. Five years later, he ran his own military organization, but with that came a tremendous responsibility to train and fund all the people beneath his command. Now, at the age of 25, he was no closer to figuring her out than when he had first spotted her.

Lightning had become his obsession, and he spent hours asking questions, digging through forgotten or locked files the Sanctum didn't want him to find. All he knew of Lightning Farron was that she had joined the military at 16, shortly after the death of her parents, and Serah had no idea how they had died. All she knew was that Lightning had changed, going from happy and optimistic, to the solitary fighter all of them knew her as now. She never associated with anyone, before, during, or after work. Her work was her life, using all her money to ensure Serah had a roof over her head and stayed out of the Sanctum's grasp. Desperate to gather more intelligence, Snow had allowed NORA to recruit the younger sister, but Serah didn't have the answers he wanted anymore than the Sanctum databases. What was so important about Lightning Farron that the government was going to such lengths to keep hidden? He knew they were hiding something, and if he hadn't ever agreed with Serah's crazy idea to pretend being a couple, he wouldn't have discovered that Lightning's weak point was nothing other than her younger sister.

Snow had never seen anyone go through the kind of transformation Lightning had, changing from indifferent to openly hostile. That alone told him he was close to something, but whatever it was, Lightning remained a closed book, impossible to open and read. Their confrontations enabled Snow to understand that her anger was nothing more than a smoke screen to hide her fear, and she demanded over and over again to let Serah go and forget about them. Serah told him that Lightning often woke screaming, but she never cried, and any time someone from the Sanctum showed up, she had her sister leave.

After he had left Lightning's home, he realized just how much the Sanctum watched her every move; as soon as they were outside, PSICOM had descended upon them and without warning, as if waiting for a reason to strike and now they had one. Only for a brief moment did he consider that Lightning might have turned on Serah, but she hadn't believed Serah's story, chasing her away with harsh words and fear tactics to have her admit to a truth that didn't exist. After the fal'Cie had taken Serah, PSICOM spent the next several hours interrogating himself not about Serah, but Lightning Farron, whether or not she was a l'Cie and what his connection to her was. Was she planning to over throw the government or harm Cocoon? This was why she avoided him and his heart ached for a woman that had no way to reach or ask for help. She had been and always would be on her own, allowing no one to suffer because of her.

Escorting him from the interrogation room and towards the train station, he heard Soldiers whispering about a Soldier quitting the Corps and turning in her weapon, volunteering for the Purge. _Lightning._ What was she planning and he was powerless to do anything to stop what was going to happen?

* * *

><p>Snow had been in the last compartment of the train, his legs and hands both restrained compared to the rest of the passengers. To say they didn't trust him was an under statement, and like Lightning, he had a sinking feeling that this was more than just a deportation to Pulse. He knew the Sanctum better than that, and no one had traveled to Pulse in several hundred years; why would the Sanctum allow them to do so now? Not to mention, the Pulse fal'Cie was a hated enemy of Cocoon. Why would they allow it to leave and chance it coming back at a later time?<p>

His fear came to fruition when he heard a series of gunshots further down the train, followed by a lot of screaming and crying. These people were defenseless, and the guards were executing them one-by-one, uncaring of age or gender. Yuj, sitting not far from him, began to struggle against his restraints, panic in his eyes when the guard entered their compartment, blood splattered on his uniform. "Snow..." he whimpered, and all Snow could remember was screaming in pure rage, all his muscles strained to the limits as his restraints shattered.

In that moment, he swore to never stop in his crusade against the Sanctum, and he'd always remember the bodies lying throughout the train, blood pooling around them. Desperate to save who he could, he launched an all out assault against the guards, and not a single person asked him to stop, knowing the dire situation they faced. If Lightning was on one of the trains, he could only hope that she'd make it out alive, but he couldn't focus on that now.

For ten years, since the founding of NORA, Snow had prepared for the possibility that the government and the people would turn on each other. However, he would have never imagined that innocent and unarmed civilians would have been dragged into it. NORA's original purpose had nothing to do with fighting monsters, but to care and protect orphaned children that struggled to eat and survive in a world that didn't want them. The Sanctum, having a hard time caring, feeding, and educating so many orphans, had no qualms about letting NORA do it for them. After awhile, he started turning NORA into a military organization, but always under the guise of fighting monsters outside of Bodhum. What would the Sanctum care if they took up arms to defend their own; it just meant they didn't have to worry about supplying the Bodhum Security Regiment with newer weapons.

Snow, while he lived inside of the government facilities, had done his homework. The things he had read about, the things he had hacked into, would horrify the public if they ever found out the secrets the Sanctum kept. Like, if anyone sympathized or questioned subjects pertaining to Pulse, were silenced, to include entire families. Other rumors existed that a Pulse l'Cie had awakened years ago, even going so far as to impregnate a woman. What ever happened to that couple had been eradicated from the files and no amount of digging had ever revealed the rest of their story.

Eventually, most, if not all of Bodhum had become integrated with NORA. Unless one was a part of the Bodhum Security Regiment, a person you passed on the street, or in a shop, was more than likely a member of his organization. Lightning had discovered this, and when she threw it in his face, he had to fight the urge not to stare at her in open-mouth astonishment. He had known she was a strong fighter, especially judging from the rank that she wore on her left shoulder, but she had possessed the brains to go with that strength.

The fact that she hadn't gone to the Sanctum about it, spoke volumes, all the more reason that his first instincts about Lighting were accurate. Yes, she worked for them, but not out of choice or a sense of loyalty. She had no choice, and they had ensured her compliance through Serah. Forcing himself to focus, he had to not only fight past the guards, but break the other prisoners free. "Grab the weapons," Snow roared at Yuj. Too frightened to argue, one of his newest additions to the organization, Yuj did as he was ordered and handed what he could find to other passengers. Some of them were other operatives, but most were simply civilians that had been caught and trapped in Bodhum at the wrong time.

These people would know very little about Snow, or that he would have their well-being foremost in his mind. Why did the Sanctum have to Purge the entire town? Most of these people were innocent and victims of circumstance, having never interacted with the Vestige or Serah. As far as the Sanctum was concerned, these people had become expendable, nothing more than a 'disease' and a plague to Cocoon Society. Not far from their location, he witnessed another train fall from an Aerorail, and wondered if Gadot and the others had been on it. He truly wished in that moment, that he had managed to recruit Lighting, needing her tactical advice and knowledge.

Some of the weapons PSICOM used against them now, were a combination of those monsters and mechanical parts. It sickened him that natural creatures had been turned into biological weapons, a cross between a machine and animal. The chances of success were slim, but he wasn't one to buckle under pressure or give into despair. Lighting was strong willed, but she never gave up, excelling through the Guardian Corps ranks with ease. He had to hope that she had survived the Purge, and despite Guardian Corps pulling out, he refused to believe she'd turn on Serah and leave her to the Pulse fal'Cie or the Sanctum's idea of exile. Lightning would fight the entire world to continue protecting Serah or die trying.

Bodhum citizens looked to Snow with admiration and respect, to include Serah. But it wasn't Serah that Snow wanted, but her ever frustrating sister. She wasn't like any woman he had ever encountered, looking at him as some kind of prize to be had or won. Just the opposite; Lightning, if given the chance, would have challenged and attempted to beat him to the ground, to prove that he was all talk and bluff. Snow wanted that fight, often craving it and finding ways to fuel her rage.

However, the one time he had needed her help rather than animosity, Lightning had lashed out at them. She refused to believe that Serah's life was in danger, or that she had been marked as a l'Cie slave. Growling in frustration, Snow once again had to force Serah's sister from his mind, refocusing on the fire fight around him. After this, he was almost certain NORA would fall on the terrorist organization watch list. However, he had no intentions of harming innocent civilians. Snow wanted to shield them, but after today, he realized that innocent people always suffered and became unwilling combatants of war.

As a direct result of his association with Serah, all of NORA had been gathered and herded onto the 'Purge' trains. This wasn't a training event outside of city limits, but the real deal; people were dying, and he'd live with that guilt for the rest of his life. Only one thing mattered at this point. Fight and hope to survive, or do nothing and die for certain. Snow had no idea how close his thoughts aligned with Lightning's, but he also held a small amount of resentment towards her. Serah had reached out to her, but Lightning in her refusal to believe them, had turned her back.

Serah had never wanted to harm Cocoon. However, unable to go after her, and weighed down with his current responsibilities, he had to choose the fate of many over the fate of one. If he left these people, they had no way to defend themselves and that kind of guilt far outweighed his sense of guilt towards Serah. He hadn't abandoned her, but was momentarily detained until the current situation changed. The Guardian Corps and PSICOM had each tried to recruit Snow, noting his leadership potential. At an early age, he used his size and agility to protect those that needed it, and he always pushed aside his own desires for the sake of those that relied on him. Not only would his followers die if he chose Serah over them, but also the citizens of Bodhum.

For several years, the Bodhum populace relied on NORA to police the streets and kill the occasional monster. NORA also played bodyguard to small children that went to the river for water. Yes, the Guardian Corps performed the same functions, but they had limited numbers and funding, unlike NORA that received all monetary assets from Lebreau's business, a cafe sitting at the edge of the sea side. As far as the Sanctum was concerned, if a couple of kids died to Cocoon monsters, it wasn't enough to justify more reinforcements or additional funding to upgrade weapons and fortifications.

Serah hadn't talked much of her sister, but the little pieces he did have, spoke of similar traits that he valued and respected. Lightning had hated PSICOM just as much as Snow, but to save her sister, she had joined the Corps to ensure she never starved or found herself put in a system that didn't guarantee her survival or well-being. Kids in the Sanctum facilities were often targets for bigger bullies, didn't often receive enough funding for food and clothes, and education was limited. But after his interrogation, he realized her being in the military was a lot more complicated than he had originally thought. What had she been protecting Serah from?

A year after joining, Lightning had sent Serah ahead of her to Bodhum, determined to keep her as far from the Sanctum as possible. What she hadn't counted on was another organization recruiting Serah, providing her with the very things the Sanctum refused or had inadequate funds for. Serah had made friends with the younger members, to include the para-military commander Snow Villiers. NORA would have welcomed someone like Lightning in their ranks, but she had no reason to trust NORA or Snow. He had asked himself, if they had lived in another city, looking at recent events, would they have cared whether or not innocent people were being slaughtered, as if they were a terrible plague that had to die?

The lower world, Pulse, was a place of demons and terrors, the legends of shadows that mothers told to bad little kids. Not that he knew this personally. Snow's mother died when he was only four, leaving him to live on the streets and in Sanctum facilities. It wasn't until almost ten years earlier that he had formed the group of resistance fighters known as NORA, a group of similar young men, women, and kids like himself that had their doubts about the Sanctum and their true intents. They didn't like Pulse or the fal'Cie either, but not so much that they were willing to see thousands of innocent people shipped off as if they were a contagious disease. The appearance of the Pulse Fal'cie outside Bodhum had created a pandemic of fear and hate, not to mention taking something from him that he wasn't quite sure about his feelings for. Snow decided to contemplate his feelings for Serah later. Even if he didn't love her, she still belonged to NORA, and he never abandoned his own.

Yes, he possessed the same fears of the l'Cie as everyone else, but Serah wasn't a violent or dangerous person. Having no one else if he tossed her out, and uncertain of her sister's ability to protect her, Snow had chosen to bite the bullet and propose to her. As his fiancée, no one was stupid enough to go near her, at least that's what he had thought. What he declared as his, people quickly left alone. If anyone inside of NORA would have said anything, they chanced being rejected or turned away from the NORA family. Snow didn't love her, and only his best friends Gadot and Lebreau had known that. However, he had a strong feeling Lightning did as well. Snow would have never allowed Serah to want for anything, not as long as she possessed the mark of the l'Cie.

The people of Bodhum never had a chance or choice about the 'Purge.' If the Sanctum had really wanted to deport them to Pulse, why had they placed several armed guards on each train, and why were they gunning down terrified civilians as they tried to run? It was after they had tried to murder Serah in the streets that he had turned against them, and because the Sanctum underestimated him, he had managed to free himself, other members of NORA, and convince the civilians aboard his train to fight back. Until Serah, Snow had never met a l'Cie before, but as he had looked in Serah's eyes, watching the tears form and slide down her pale cheeks, he knew that she wasn't the enemy or monster the Sanctum tried to make them all believe.

They had dated only a few short days, and despite what Lightning thought, he had only agreed to Serah's crazy idea to finally get a chance to meet her. He had figured, if he could prove that he was enough to protect her, Lightning would have considered joining them. Instead, he was in the middle of a war that might have a quick ending. Serah was a resident of Cocoon, a sweet, and innocent woman that would have never thought to harm the place she called home, or the friends and family on it. She had tried to tell her sister, but Lightning had threatened to cut her down if it were true. Serah had begged him to forgive her, trying to give him a brief explanation to her reaction. She had said it was Lightning's way of refusing to believe the truth, wanting to believe Serah had made the entire thing up just to gain her approval. If she had just mentioned she had been marked, Lighting might not have reacted the way she had, but the news of both had sent her over the edge, and she didn't react well to surprise or fear.

He wanted to believe Serah, and hoped that Lightning wasn't a part of this. Had he been wrong about her? If she truly had turned against Bodhum, regardless of how she had been raised, or her reasons, he'd kill her and slowly, wanting her to struggle as his hands choked the life from her. Outward appearances made him out at as an upbeat, optimistic individual, but none of them really knew the real man that led the resistance fighters against the Sanctum. Only his closest friends knew, but he hadn't told them about Lightning, not yet...

* * *

><p>"On behalf of Cocoon's citizens... I would like to thank our brave Pulse pioneers... and express our best wishes for a successful relocation. Your noble and selfless sacrifice... ensures the continued safety and peace of our society. Were it not for this remarkable gesture... every resident on Cocoon... your families, your friends, your neighbors... would be exposed to the dangers from the world below..."<p>

Gadot and Lebreau, having been on Lightning's train before it derailed, managed to get off with a few survivors. They were now fighting for their lives, using acquired PSICOM weapons to return fire in an increasingly hostile engagement. There was so much death, and it was only getting worse as the day continued. Desperate, and uncertain if Snow had managed to survive or was on one of the other derailed trains, Lebreau charged forward with Gadot and fired off another flare. _Please see it,_ she thought. Other than Gadot, she only saw Maqui with them. Yuj was no where to be seen, and her heart ached at the senseless slaughter occurring around them.

Reaching the last of the debris, Gadot shoved her down, hissing at her to stay to the farthest wall before taking his own spot. Normally, she might have argued with him, but if he had his focus on her and not the fight, she risked losing him. Her pride wasn't worth his life, and forcing back her own terror, she desperately threw herself into the fight. There only hope at this point was Snow, if he had survived, and him reaching them before PSICOM overwhelmed them with their numbers.

* * *

><p>A flare brightened the Trussways and the NORA Commander glanced up. He knew of only one person that would have fired off that kind of signal, NORA in the battle of their lives. For several years, as they used rampaging wild monsters to train, he had taught everyone that in really dire situations to fire off a flare. Not only did it serve to alert other groups of danger, but gave a focus point for everyone to rendez-vous at. However, to his disappointment, Lebreau was usually the only one to keep that training in the forefront of her mind. He only hoped she wasn't alone on the battlefront. Was Gadot and Maqui with her?<p>

The blaring intercom above him, and the one from the radio at their feet had him gritting his teeth in fury. The Sanctum had a lot of audacity to state that this was still a relocation for the good of the people. The citizen's of Cocoon had no idea that the Purge had turned into an all out bloodbath, people dying all around them, and at the end of the day, the Sanctum would advertise that Bodhum had successfully relocated to Pulse.

The threat wasn't Pulse... at least not on the same level, but the Sanctum. A second flare went off, and he felt the pressure of getting on the move. He still had the people around him to protect, but very few of them were even attempting to fight back, leaving only Yuj and himself as their defense. _Lebreau, hang in there._ He had to smirk at the irony of the situation. Lightning had always considered them a danger to the Sanctum government, but due to her withholding information, and NORA keeping a low profile, the Sanctum was perhaps now just realizing how powerful NORA had become.

As a result of 'protecting' the citizens, fighting monsters, and patrolling the Bodhum perimeters, NORA had effectively managed to teach members how to fight, fire a weapon, fortify their positions, and hold ground until reinforcements arrived. In addition to knowing how to fight, Lebreau would be grabbing medical supplies, and would more than likely be issuing out potions and bandages to the injured. The few citizens that might take up arms, had no military training, but what choice did any of them have?

"By choosing to leave Cocoon... and participating in this migration..." Snow gritted his teeth in aggravation, and having had enough, a heavy boot smashed the loud radio blaring out at them, sparks flying everywhere. Primarch Dysley was the voice of the Sanctum, and by some miracle if he survived, he'd hunt the bastard down. Anyone that condoned this kind of genocide had no place or right to make life altering decisions for the citizens of Cocoon.

"'Migration?'" Yuj, normally a happy and upbeat individual, had taken up arms, but with a cool intelligence that spoke volumes of having taken his training seriously. Gadot often wondered if individuals so young had what it took to fight, and they were about to find out. In times of war, children had no choice but to grow up and fast. "More like extermination."

Sarcasm was not one of Yuj's normal personality traits, and Snow only hoped he wouldn't lose the Yuj all of them knew to this. Wars had a way of changing a person, something he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life. Snow had trained for this, even expected it, but not to this extent. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, forcing back the bile in his throat, and counted to ten before leveling his blue gaze onto Yuj. He was so damn young, but what choices did Snow have?

"Yuj." He was a new member, and still uncertain about his place with them, he instantly went quiet, thinking he had messed up. Unlike Snow or Gadot, he wasn't an aggressive person. However, he wanted to prove himself, and if fighting meant he'd survive, then that's exactly what he was going to do. Did Snow think he was too young? Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything.

He didn't have a choice, and with airships flying overhead, he uttered the words that Yuj wasn't going to want to hear. Snow knew a time might come when he'd have to prove his position as the NORA Commander, but the stakes were so damn high, he doubted their be a successor to his leadership if he failed. Snow, when he looked at Yuj and his odd sense of fashion, he could only imagine him with Serah and the way they were a better match. "You stay here."

Yuj wanted to beg him to change his mind. He hadn't meant to upset Snow, his eyes lowering to the ground. Yuj, after all, was only 17. What did he know about combat and knowing when to speak and when not to? All the kids loved Snow, worshiped the ground he walked on, and all Yuj had ever dreamed about was becoming a member of his organization. "Sorry," he apologized, struggling, but failing not to cry. "I didn't mean to..."

Snow's gaze softened, and he tried to give the boy a reassuring smile. He had never wanted a child of his own, not with having grown up in the Sanctum facilities, but that didn't mean he didn't try to protect them. Blue eyes, filled with exhaustion, met the boy's and he watched Yuj visibly relax. The last thing he wanted was for Yuj to not speak up; it was one of the things he encouraged in NORA, something the Guardian Corps or PSICOM would never permit. Lightning, he realized, never spoke about herself. She was solitary, fighting alone, training alone, and seemed intent on never letting anyone close to her. She had shut out the world, and the war waging around him told him everything he needed to know about her reasons. If only things hadn't taken such a dramatic turn, but it was what it was.

"These people need heroes!" he emphasized, turning to face Yuj. The younger man found no sign of disappointment or anger in the leader's expression. Rather, Snow seemed to stare down at him as if he were a valuable asset to the team. He had no idea why though. Gadot was a weapon's expert, Lebreau the finance manager, and Snow an expert at tactical war plans and training. What did he have to offer? He had to do this, and squaring back his shoulders with pride, he nodded. No, he didn't like being kept in the back, but he suddenly realized Snow's reasons for the decision. The unarmed civilians, if left alone, were easy targets for PSICOM.

With great care and respect, Snow lifted the weapon in Yuj's hands and secured it a little closer to his body, "Here." If Snow had had his way, Yuj would never have participated in a fight like this, his happy demeanor something he often cherished. Yuj idolized Snow; a man that didn't lead with force, but with compassion and kindness. "You keep your cool, and they will to. " Smiling despite everything, not wanting to see this young kid become an empty shell or something he wasn't, he slapped him on the shoulder; "You got it?"

"Got it!" Yuj gave him a lop-sided grin, wanting to be at the front, but to have Snow ask him to do something this important would have to be suffered. If someone didn't stay back, PSCIOM would move in from behind, kill the weaponless citizens, and ultimately cage the NORA resistance fighters on every side.

"Counting on you buddy. What's our motto?" Snow asked, trying to give Yuj a boost in morale. He no longer possessed any hopes of surviving this war, but he didn't need to tell him that. Seeing Yuj smiling was what he wanted to remember, to have burned into his memories if he died.

"The army is no match for NORA!"

"Atta boy." Snow had a fondness for every member of his group, regardless of their age, or how long they had been serving him. Without knowing if he'd see the kid again, he ruffled the blue hair, chuckled like a father would to his son, turned, and rushed back into the thick of battle.

* * *

><p>Gadot couldn't believe everything had deteriorated so suddenly, continuing to do so at an alarming rate. So many of the 'purge' deportees had been killed or were hovering back while the young freedom fighters, NORA, tried to keep them alive. They had quickly gathered up what weapons they could, starting up an intensive battle between themselves and PSICOM. Gadot and everyone on the train owed their lives to Lightning, but he might never have a chance to tell Snow that he had been right about her. It irked him that she was somewhere on the Hanging Edge, making her way towards the Pulse Vestige without anyone to back her up. He didn't consider the civilian that had gone with her adequate enough, but he knew next to nothing about her, or if the man was even her boyfriend. He looked too old for her, but what did he know? All he knew was that if they got a chance, Snow needed to know so he'd have a chance to go after her ass.<p>

Without Lightning, he doubted they'd have ever made it off the train alive, and definitely not without taking heavy losses first. He had no idea why she was choosing to fight PSICOM, but he didn't care and had used her as an example to get the other civilians to do the same. Not long after she had taken out one of PSICOM's bio-weapons, she had taken off, another man following her. Gadot, until that moment, had never trusted her, nor saw the point of Snow attempting to recruit her. In his eyes, she worked for the Sanctum, and therefore was a threat to them all.

However, as he had watched her kill one Soldier after another, he found himself following her lead, galvanizing the other train occupants into action. Only the first car had seen what had been about to happen, weapons lifting, and prepared to open fire on them, when all the Soldiers had taken off towards the back, intercoms blaring that a rogue Soldier had turned on them. He had never been so grateful, so close to death, and when his eyes spotted the furious ex-Corps fighter, he knew PSICOM had made a powerful enemy out of her.

Without her sister to protect, she no longer had any reason to take their commands; instead, she focused all her hate directly towards the Soldiers targeting innocent people, using her gun blade with trained ease. Gadot had no desire to be on the receiving end of it. It was quite apparent, PSICOM hadn't searched her prior to pushing her on the train, and she was using that too her advantage.

The man that had been next to her, had chosen to follow, leaving Gadot with the stranded train survivors. If Snow wanted an answer to whether or not Lightning would ever turn against the Sanctum, Gadot finally had an answer for him. Watching her disappear down the Trussways, Gadot had no choice but to wish her a mental good luck, wondering if this would be the last time he saw her. He didn't have to ask anyone what she was after. Gadot already knew and if he wished more than anything that he could apologize for falsely judging her.

Lightning perhaps didn't express her true feelings, but she had them, and unlike Snow who had friends to keep him out of trouble, it was quite apparent, the young woman did not. If the old man was following her, it wasn't because she wanted him to, but more out of necessity or inability to make him stay behind with the others. It was probably a good thing; one less person Gadot had to worry about keeping alive. Outside the train car, he witnessed an epic fire battle already underway, and he briefly wondered if Snow had managed to survive the initial start of the war. Another train car had been dislodged from it's tracks, and if Snow had survived, he knew he'd try to make his way to them.

Lebreau, when given a brief respite from firing at the enemy, fired off a flare. They had managed to make it to some of PSICOM's barriers, and they were extremely flimsy, and offered little protection. His girlfriend was hunched in a corner, giving as good as they got, and he thought he saw a bullet graze wound on her left arm. As Snow's second in command, he had little choice but to keep her in the fight, knowing that if he spared her, they'd never make it out a live. As far as he knew, it was just Lebreau, Maqui, and himself fighting back at this point.

Knowing his girlfriend, she wasn't happy about being placed on the other side of the platform from Gadot, but not wanting to endanger him due to him focusing on her instead of the battle, she did as she was told. Too bad he couldn't say the same for other NORA member. Gadot wanted to tell her to get her cute ass back to the train, but to do so meant placing her out of his view. If she was going to die, he'd rather it be at his side than by herself.

Lebreau was the best cook he knew, and he loved her to distraction. It was the only reason Snow had chosen not to date her himself. That was Snow, always considering others before himself. Gadot was his best friend, and the three of them had grown up together in the Sanctum facility homes for a good portion of their lives. As soon as they had been old enough, they left, formed NORA, and never looked back. Gadot only hoped Yuj and Snow had made it.

Damn if he didn't; he might have Maqui meet an early demise if he didn't shut his mouth. The second they had crossed into the Outer Rim, he had noticed the change in the guards, the way they tensed and how they kept glancing back at the motionless deportees. It was as if they were waiting for some kind of orders, and as the guards started to lift their weapons, they were ordered to another train car due to a rogue Corps Soldier turning on them. He knew instantly it had been Lightning, and she confirmed his suspicions when she came charging through the car, two weapons in each hand, soon followed with her AMP field that gave her adequate protection against their bullets.

Watching her take out the supposed 'elite' was enough to give him courage to take them on. They were sluggish and confused compared to Lightning, and NORA. As a result of Lightning, and afterwards NORA taking her place, they were now one of the most dangerous operative organizations on Cocoon, and orders were given to use all means necessary to get control of the 'out of control' situation. He had to smile in amusement; knowing the Sanctum, Lightning had more than likely been labeled as a NORA operative, something she had tried so hard to never become.

Snow would never believe it, and he made it a point to live long enough to tell him. Occasionally NORA liked to irritate the Sanctum, but for the most part, NORA stayed out of the way and in turn PSICOM and the Guardian Corps left them alone. _So much for a peaceful solution_, Gadot thought to himself. And at the rate Maqui kept complaining, he was considering doing all of them a favor and hitting him with the but of his assault rifle. Why did Yuj have to be on a different train? And why was he always the mommy of the group? Gadot was all male, through and through. Rolling his eyes, he couldn't wait for a chance to hit Snow. He preferred action, not motherly reassurance in a situation that seemed impossible.

"This is crazy!" Maqui shouted, goggles pulled up on his blond head. He had been playing with his electronic gadgets when the Sanctum had pulled him from the basement and loaded him on the train. Anyone associated with Snow was a contaminated risk, therefore, on the extermination list as well.

"Then take a nap!" shouted Gadot, _and spare my ears! _He didn't say the latter part.

Smiling, wondering if Gadot meant he could take a break from the fighting, he turned on to his hands and knees and looked at him with a hopeful expression. "Really? Can I?" Had he or Snow ever acted like this, or was it the fact that they had spared a good majority of the orphaned kids in Bodhum4, a life outside of the Sanctum facilities. It had always bothered Snow that Serah and Lightning had somehow been missed. NORA had only been a year old when Lightning's parents had been killed, but he would have offered his protection to her, just as he had done to Serah when she first arrived to Bodhum.

Serah, when recruited, had told them she had an older sister. NORA rarely saw Lightning and when they did, she always had a stern expression on her young face, even before she turned 18. She didn't laugh or smile, a heavy burden on her young shoulders, and Serah had finally agreed to take Snow's offer, hoping to take some of the pressure off her sister, but it had only served to anger Lightning instead of put her at ease. The few times Gadot had tried to ask what had happened to their parents, Serah seemed to get a lost look on her face, as if the memories were there, but somehow shadowed or forgotten.

It was quite possible Serah had been to young, and therefore leaving only Lightning with those answers. Serah did admit that Lightning had changed since then. Once a happy, and carefree teenager, she had changed over night and enlisted into the Guardian Corps. The Sanctum had almost taken Serah, but with Lightning's sacrifice, she had been spared and given a home. It was a tragic story really, and Gadot wasn't so certain any of them really wanted to know the truth behind Lightning's parents' demise.

"Sure! And when we're taking a _dirt _nap, you can save 'em all." He usually talked to people with sarcasm, and NORA operatives usually knew they were in trouble when his tone changed. Maqui quickly realized Gadot was at the limits of his patience, and if pushed much further, he was going to snap.

Maqui hated violence, and he'd rather find himself tinkering with a computer or radio, than hold a gun in his hands. This was Gadot's or Snow's kind of thing, but even Lebreau had answered the call without complaint. It was kill or be killed, and she much rather go down fighting than let them do it like they were mindless slaves or sheep.

Probably no older than 14, Maqui threw a tantrum and dropped himself to the ground. "Aw, that's even worse!"

_I'm going to kill him!_ Gadot thought, almost seeing red. Just as he was going to beat him to within an inch of his life, NORA's commander dropped down, seemingly to kick Maqui by accident in the side. Wincing, the boy rolled back to his position, no longer whining like he had been with Gadot. Snow seemed ready to kill someone, and his eyes were focused on the Soldiers on the other side of their barriers.

With the blue portals, each Soldier they killed were replaced with three more, making it an endless cycle. Unless they managed to change the current situation, they'd run out of fire power soon, and any hopes of making it out, would die as well. One look at Maqui, and the kid said nothing more. The situation was pretty bad, and despite wanting to tell him Lighting was heading into the heart of it, they needed him here. He wasn't quite so sure Snow could have gone after her even if he had wanted, always taking the needs of the many over the needs of the few. They'd have to rely on Lighting being able to make it on her own, giving Gadot all the more reason to respect the woman despite her apparent dislike of Snow.

Gadot often found himself amused at how much Lightning got beneath Snow's skin. He had never had a problem getting a girl's attention, even Serah's. Not Lighting, though. She resisted him at every opportunity, and the harder she tried to reject him, the more determined he became at trying to change her mind. Lightning didn't look at him with the same girly affection he despised; rather a challenge to her perfect idea of an organized world. Snow's only desire was to protect people from entities like the Sanctum, and the one person he'd have willingly accepted into the organization, refused to trust or rely on him. For unknown reasons, the Sanctum had a powerful hold over her, and until now, she had been incapable of breaking free of them and siding with Snow.

Keeping low, as if he were a trained Soldier himself, he placed a gloved hand on the barrier. The situation was extremely bad, but they had a chance if they didn't lose hope. "No dirt naps today! We're all in this together," he encouraged, not really certain if he believed it or not. But what the hell, if it kept them fighting, he'd tell them what ever they wanted to here. He briefly wondered how they had managed to get free, not aware that Lighting had been on Gadot's train.

"Where's the rest of the train?" Snow demanded, watching Gadot's gaze shift away. That wasn't a good sign, and judging from the way Lebreau's expression tightened, he had a sinking feeling that the only survivors were the handful of people fighting behind the barriers. Part of it was still on the platform, and glancing down, he only saw darkness.

"Snow..." Lebreau sighed. "She's going after Serah." She realized Gadot might have wanted to keep that to themselves, but deep down, she knew that Snow didn't love Serah, but the elusive Lightning Farron. Most of NORA thought his interest in her a lost cause, but he had never once wavered since first laying eyes on her. He had taken in Serah for her, shielded her... all to keep the one thing Lightning cherished out of the Sanctum's reach.

"Lightning... she was on your train?" Lebreau nodded, watching the wild emotions in his blue eyes turn from despair to agonizing pain. "The guards mentioned a Soldier quitting... she didn't leave Bodhum with the rest of the Corps?"

"She resigned her commission, handed over her weapon, and demanded to board the train with the rest of us. I was in the line next to her; Snow she saved all of our lives. Thanks to her, Gadot was able to save the surviving passengers while she took on PSICOM's monsters."

"Should have seen her boss!" Maqui shouted, oblivious to Snow's pain. "PSICOM never saw what hit them!"

Until that moment, he never truly understood how helpless he felt; she was out there, fighting for her life, and he had no choice but to stay with his team. All this time, he had found himself angry that she had turned her back on them, but she hadn't, and now she was making her way straight for Serah, and defying all of the Sanctum while she was at it. Whatever hold they had once had over her, had been severed after they opened fire on her sister.

Everyone was looking to him to lead, and one of his founding beliefs was to always protect the many over the few. Lightning was on her own, and he mentally cried out at the unfairness and his inability to protect her like so many other times. Even Gadot seemed relieved, but he didn't have the same false misconceptions as Maqui or Yuj. Lebreau, Gadot, and Snow were Sanctum orphans, not blind to reality. Without the Guardian Corps to help the civilians, they were on their own.

"Our enemy's the Cocoon Sanctum, and their dreaded PSICOM no less." Snow had no idea how he managed to keep the tears out of his voice, and if Lebreau or Gadot noticed them sliding down his cheeks, none of them said a word. Gadot had never liked the Sanctum either, but even this was beyond his comprehension. Was the Sanctum so afraid of anything Pulse related that they'd condone the murder of thousands of Bodhum residents? And yet, the kids truly believed Snow, that everything would be okay. Gadot supposed it was better than allowing them to despair and die without a fight.

He had once had his doubts about Snow's ability to lead an army against the Sanctum if ever a need arose, but Snow was quickly proving himself. If even a handful of them survived, it was saying something, and Gadot couldn't think of anyone else he wanted at his back or fighting at his side. The only female of their group, soft on the eyes, Lebreau smarted off with her sassy mouth. Also dragged from her shop, she had been given no time to put on better clothing, stuck in beach boots, a very skimpy skirt, and a shirt that if she leaned any further forward, would reveal far more than Gadot would appreciate.

Snow had never really liked committing to anyone, not until Lighting. To irritate her to distraction, he had made a rash decision dating her sister. Most of the past five years, he had gone out of his way to gain her attention and failing miserably, and he still didn't know much about Serah, or her sister. He had no idea how he had managed to get himself into this mess, anyone else he would have let fend for themselves, especially after finding out his supposed girlfriend was a dreaded l'Cie.

"What's to dread? PSCIOM's nothing but a whole bunch of bluster and bullying." Snow raised a brow at Lebreau's bold statement; this was more than just a simple school yard bully session. In this case, the bully that won the fight, walked away and the other did not. "They've got nothing on NORA!"

He really needed to give them a new motto to follow. That had been for chasing wild beasts and fetching the stray cat from a tree. Gadot chuckled, sensing Snow's growing aggravation and trying to lighten the mood a little. "Well, we are the Heroes after all!" he shouted. Snow shook his head; leave it to Gadot to make him smile despite the situation.

"Let us prove it!" All of them agreeing, they charged forward. Telling them they needed to clear a path out of there, they made their way across Aerorail Trussway 5-W to 6-W. Most of the civilians were still trapped between the fighting and PSICOM, forced to sit or die at gun point. "The Sanctum is going to pay for this!"

* * *

><p>Having a purpose, the team quickly began cutting a path back towards the trapped citizens from Gadot's train. It was important because they needed to return them to the second train with as few casualties as possible. However, the problem rested with the fact that as fast they cleared the Trussway, PSICOM replenished their numbers with more bio-weapons and Soldiers. An hour later, they came to some fallen debris, the group paused, and Maqui sank to his knees in exhaustion. Snow knew they were asking a lot of the younger teen, but what choice did they have? He wasn't forcing Maqui to fight, and despite all his complaints, he was still going. "No more," he pleaded.<p>

Even their female, tom-boy seemed worn down, surprised that they just simply kept coming, using the blue transporters to push Soldiers through. They didn't have that luxury, being picked off one at a time. "There are Soldiers everywhere." Needing to give her arm a break, she placed the heavy assault rifle on her shoulder, but eventually that would even begin to hurt. Snow had a feeling, if they made it out alive, they'd all have sore muscles the following day.

Knowing they couldn't keep going like this, Gadot leaned closer to Snow's ear, the commander distracted with the large force on the other side of their barrier. "Yo, Boss. What's the plan?"

With a cocky attitude that dripped with arrogance, he stood back up, still focused on the enemy; "Charge in, guns blazing."

Despite being young, Maqui protested the stupidity of his decision. "Hey! That's not a plan!"

Lebreau tossed back her head and laughed, fully in agreement with Maqui. Still, she had grown up with these two, and never once did they think a fight through. It always somehow worked out though. Better to go in all the way, rather than second guess your decisions. That often got someone killed. "Real heroes," she said, rolling her eyes in mockery, "don't need plans."

Gadot swatted her on the rear, waggling his eye brows. She didn't shout at him like she normally would have, knowing the dire situation and how grim it looked. She took what little time she had with her boyfriend and cherished it, not knowing when one of them might kick the bucket. On the other side was a large group of Soldiers and bio-cats, all of them deadly. Lebreau had a lot of Potions at her disposal, and Snow found himself grateful that they had managed to stock so many. She hadn't been able to get as many as she would have liked, but they gathered what they could from the dead Soldiers. Pounding his fists together, he took a deep breath, and moved forward, ordering Maqui to stay back.

It wasn't easy, but after a few tough encounters, they cleared the rest of the path, and at last made it to the stranded citizens from Gadot's train. There were so few of them, and Snow felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. How many more people had to die for the Sanctum to realize what they were doing was beyond an atrocity? These were peaceful people, and the biggest crime ever committed was probably staying out to late parting on the beaches at night. Some of the survivors were as young as five. What was being asked of them was beyond cruel, and he wasn't going to sink himself to PSICOM's or the Sanctum's level.

Gadot's train should have had close to five hundred people, most having died after the train had derailed and crashed. He walked up to them with a confidence he didn't feel. Later, he'd give himself the meltdown he needed. Now wasn't the time, nor the place, but he wondered if he'd recover regardless? "You all okay?" he asked.

No one had expected a rescue team, all of them certain these were their last moments. After the train had fallen and separated, they had waited for PSICOM to carry out the gruesome task of executing the survivors. One older woman sat among them, the rest young men or women that had never seen a day of combat in his life. She looked a lot older than she was, the last couple of days having taken their toll on her. Snow tried to recall who she was, but figured she was simply a tourist in the wrong place, at the wrong time. _Terrible time to pick a vacation_, he thought.

Not far behind, Maqui rushed up and tripped, all the weapons he had picked up sliding across the metal flooring. Hissing in barely concealed terror, Snow chided him. Very few things riled him up, but fatal mistakes that might kill one of their own wasn't something he allowed to slide. "Hey, careful with those." The last thing he needed was someone to kill everyone due to fratricide. PSCIOM would love that idea and probably get a good laugh out of it to. Gadot had to contain his snicker, finally glad that Snow was getting a dose of the medicine he had to swallow for nearly an hour.

Snow had to force himself to remember that some of his team were young kids still, having not had the same training as Lebreau, Gadot or himself. All three of them had seen the nastier sides of the Sanctum, having sheltered a lot of the orphans in Bodhum and surrounding cities. Even the Sanctum seemed to want to dump orphaned children on them, not wanting to have to feed, cloth, or educate them if possible.

"Don't worry, no one's moving to Pulse today. We'll clear you a path out of here, so be ready to-" He had never had any intentions of asking any of these people to help, nor was he sure it was proper protocol. What would the Guardian Corps have done in a situation like this? Asking untrained civilians to carry out the tasks of trained Soldiers, was like telling a new born he had to learn to run before crawling.

A young man, wearing green overalls, with a beard and dark circles beneath his eyes jumped to his feet, a stubborn set to his jaw. "Wait! Let me fight with you!"

Another young man in Sanctum robes stepped up beside him, and Snow had to blink back in surprise. Where had this side of them come from? They hadn't been like this prior to boarding the train, and this was what Gadot had wanted to tell him. Because of Lightning, all of them had wanted to fight, and now they had a chance. Spreading his hands wide, the robed man pleaded with Snow to let them. To them, he was just like the young woman that had managed to free them from the guards, but she had vanished shortly after the crash, and he was the only person that seemed just as capable of making level headed decisions and getting them to safety. "Yeah, you can't expect us to just sit here!"

Snow didn't like it, but something had definitely fired these people up. He glanced over at Gadot, a hint of amusement in his friend's eyes. Did Gadot know something he didn't? He wanted to demand an explanation, but the longer they stayed, the more Soldiers they sent to replace the ones they had killed on the Trussway. Gadot had to agree with the civilians. If they were going to make it, NORA needed help, and now was not the time to argue over training and the technicalities of arming them or why. "Could help," Snow reluctantly agreed.

"Yep," Gadot told him, not saying more than he needed. He wanted to live long enough to see his reaction when Snow realized why these people were so riled up.

"Please," the first man begged, "Let us help."

Why had he been declared the unspoken leader, again? Everywhere he went, people seemed to want to follow him, and he hated that so much depended on his decisions and actions. Snow's decision was made when another bomb hit the Trussway's behind them.

"Okay then. Volunteers front and center."

At first it was just the two men, but then more joined them, eagerly grabbing a weapon from Maqui; "Here, take this one," he encouraged. Some of the men felt that if a kid like Maqui had the guts to fight, they were nothing more than cowards if they didn't do the same.

"Count me in!" a civilian volunteered.

For the most part, it was mostly the middle-aged, to older men volunteering, leaving the younger ones and the older woman behind. Finally, after making up her mind, she stood, and took a step towards the volunteers and NORA. She saw through Snow's facade, noting the hesitation and doubt in his blue eyes. He didn't think they should be fighting, but these people didn't have a choice. "Mom," a frightened child called out.

Looking down at him, she gave him a short nod, despite the shadows of fear in her pale eyes. The kid had a bad feeling, and if she left, he'd never see her again. "Don't worry," she told him, a sad smile on her face. It was like she knew the same thing he felt, and if he let her go, this was going to be his last chance at see her still alive. The boy instantly regretted his harsh words to her a couple of days ago. She had only wanted to return to his father, to make things right, and he had thrown a tantrum instead. If only she'd sit back down; he'd agree to go home with her.

The NORA team quickly and patiently showed each civilian how to arm and fire the weapons, knowing they would have to learn fast if they stood a chance. Everyone that touched the cold metal, instantly signed an unspoken contract that this was for keeps and they might not make it to the other train. While some civilians still wore their robes, most had cast them off in an effort to have some sort of say in his or her own deaths.

Moving forward, picking up one of the last of two remaining weapons, she paused in front of the towering giant. He was so impossibly young for this kind of hardship, but war didn't care about age or gender. Snow turned to her, surprise and fear flickering across his handsome face. Lebreau was one thing, having grown up on the streets like the rest of them, but this woman was a mother and her hands didn't look like they had ever seen a day of hard work in her life. "You sure?" he asked, wanting to tell her to sit down. He rightfully couldn't do it. Snow didn't have a lot of respect for most adults, but he found himself suddenly very protective of this one, and a dread forming in his stomach. She reminded him of the mother he had lost so very long ago, and if he still had one, he wanted one willing to do anything to keep him alive.

At first she didn't say anything, and he searched for signs of shaking or doubt, but there was none as she lifted her gaze to meet his blue one. Was she one of these kid's mother? She probably thought she didn't have a choice, wanting to spare her child's life with her own. "Yeah. Mom's are tough." He didn't know, and he wondered if his real mother might have done the same for him, faced with fighting to save her child, or sitting and waiting to die.

Spinning the last assault rifle in his hands, Gadot handed it to Snow, his blue eyes searching the crowd, "It's the last one boss." All that was were the children and a couple of other younger mothers. The last thing either of them wanted to do was hand over a weapon to small kids, but what choices did they have? In times of war, there were no such thing as children, only victims of circumstance.

Not wanting to leave the civilians without a weapon, he lifted it in the air, and approached: "All right, last one. Somebody take it."Terrified, most of the kids backed away in terror.

"No... I can't," one whimpered.

One girl didn't, however, reaching with her small hands, as if she were just a child. "Here," she asked eagerly, a smile on her youthful face. How old was this kid? With great reluctance, he did, not seeing anyone else offering or willing to try.

"Push comes to shove," he told her, "Keep 'em safe." He prayed she'd never have to fire the gun, but he doubted that was possible.

She pointed it back at him and pretended to fire. "Bang..." He pretended that she had badly hurt him, and he gave her a gentle wink before turning back towards the others.

A child herself, she didn't know the man like the others, all of them willing to fight and die alongside him. It seemed the boy didn't either, trembling beside her as his mother moved a distance away from them and didn't look back. "All right, lay low and you'll be fine!" he encouraged. "We'll clear out the area."

Gadot shouted for the new recruits to follow him, his own doubts creeping in. Did they have a choice? More Soldiers started to arrive, already filling up the Trussway they had cleared moments ago. With one last shout of encouragement, he raised his fist into the air... "We're going home together!"

No one moved or cheered, but Lebreau spurred them into action, grabbing some by the arm and leading them to the safety of the train car. "Come on! Everybody up!"

Gadot chuckled. His girlfriend was not the motherly type, but he still got a kick out of watching her try to heard all the kids into action. Knowing it was time to get moving, he lifted his right arm, gun in hand, and shouted to the recruits. "Right. New recruits - on me!" This was Gadot's specialty. Taking and training new people. Snow had just wished it wasn't on a live battle field.

Wanting to keep a special eye on the woman, Snow touched her arm and asked her to keep close. "Right," she agreed. Pausing for just a moment, she turned to look back, and watching Lebreau grab her son's arm and get them moving, she knew deep down this was for the last time. She didn't want to fight again, but what choices did one have when one's family was in danger. Lebreau and Maqui stayed back towards the rear, insuring the civilians kept moving forward and nothing attacked from behind. Snow hoped this wasn't a hopeless cause, but that's exactly how he felt at the moment.


	7. Reflections - Part Four

(Reflections - **Present**)

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><p><strong>Part Four<strong>

Gadot had once made a promise, but until now, he had never been given the opportunity. This woman, despite working for their enemy, had proven their greatest Savior. It hadn't been during the end of the world either, but on a day where everything should have ended for NORA. Lightning had given them their only chance, and he wanted her to know that NORA would always find themselves in her debt regardless of the passing of time. Coming to a halt, he felt Lightning tense. She had yet to realize they weren't moving any longer, her arms curled around him as if her very life depended upon her not letting go. "Better get used to it," Gadot teased. "Snow doesn't do cars."

"Wha-?" Not wanting to think about it, Lightning jumped off the bike, handing him her helmet and walked off towards the mall.

"This will be interesting," Gadot muttered. Just as they were about to follow, a single sound had all of them freezing in their tracks, and it wasn't a good one, judging from the fear they heard in Serah's voice.

"Oops..." Serah gasped, staring at her phone. All eyes fell on Lightning's younger sister, and thankfully the older Farron was far enough ahead that she didn't hear the explosion of texts filtering across the tiny screen.

"What do you mean oops," Gadot demanded, reaching for the device. Serah almost resisted, her complexion pale. That couldn't have been a good sign. When Snow got mad at someone, no one was stupid enough to stick around. Quickly reading through the incoming messages, Gadot's jaw dropped, his expression tense. "You didn't tell him we were taking her? ARE YOU CRAZY!"

"It kind of slipped my mind," she whispered.

"Ouch..." Lebreau and Yuj said in unison. "Better be lucky we're not in Bodhum. That would have earned clean-up duty for a month," Yuj whispered, glad it wasn't him this time. Snow had just gotten Lightning back, and with the way demons and monsters seemed drawn to her, it was understandable that he'd panic the moment he'd wake up and find her gone.

"Call him." How Lightning had known to come back, baffled them, but Serah quickly did as she asked, and before it even started to ring, Lightning already had it in her hand, the device pressed to her ear. "SERAH?! WE PROMISED NOT TO...

"I'm fine..." Lightning spoke; and just like that, Snow's anger dissipated. "You told me to get out more..."

"Yeah, but..."

"Just don't burn the house down or something," Lightning asked, knowing Snow's idea of cooking involved two pieces of bread and the toaster. Anything else, and they'd return home with several fire trucks parked in the front lawn.

"I'll eat out. Where did they take you?"

"I..."

"The new mall in town," Lebreau answered for her. Snow was silent for so long, they almost thought the call had disconnected.

"Light... at a mall... Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"

"I'm right here," she snapped.

"Don't worry, boss," Gadot reassured him. Unfortunately, Snow did worry, and Noel and Lightning were the only two people to understand why. While everyone else had just gotten their lives back, Snow had endured for over five hundred years. In Lightning's opinion, she wasn't the only one that still needed saving.

"Look," she finally stated, "if you're so concerned about Yuj's idea of fashion, then why don't you pick my wardrobe."

"Yuj... picking... WHY WOULD I LET HIM PICK YOUR CLOTHES?! HAVE YOU SEEN THE COLORS HE WEARS! ONLY SERAH LIKED..." And he hung up, everyone but Yuj and Serah laughing at Snow's antics. The ex-Commander did have a valid point, and glancing at the blue-haired man, Lightning could only shake her head in wonder. And Serah wanted Yuj to help her shop? She would have better luck with Gadot picking her outfits, not that he had bad taste or anything. Noel, like Lightning, had no idea how to pick clothes either; seems like she wasn't the only one to need a make-over. Tossing Serah the phone, she turned on her heels and made her way to what everyone called a mall; still not sure what was so special about it.

"How long do you think we have?" Light asked his best friend.

"With Snow... Thirty minutes to an hour. And that's only if he doesn't get stopped for speeding."

"Then we have thirty minutes to find something he'll like." Lightning considered just waiting for him; this wasn't exactly something she specialized in, but for once she wanted to surprise him with something other than a blow to the jaw. "What got his attention before... you know... before..."

"Before you..." Gadot asked. "That's just the thing... He didn't really have anyone before you... All of them were nothing more than a quick dinner date, and that's it. They irritated and bored him, always talking about getting married, having kids, and him giving up what he loved the most... NORA."

"I thought Serah..."

"Sis, that was nothing more than a way to get you to pay attention to us."

"And the engagement?"

"Did you honestly think we'd ever make it down the aisle?"

"I know," Gadot shouted, and before any of them had a chance to stop him, he grabbed Lighting's wrist and took off into the mall.

"Wait!" Yuj shouted, but they were already out of ear shot. Gadot did know Snow better than anyone; even better than Lightning. For years, he had ranted about this woman, and if anyone deserved a shred of happiness, it was these two. And if he knew Lightning, she'd never figure out the allure she presented and how much she had the idiot wrapped around her tiny little finger. "You two," he pointed at Serah and Lebreau, "Nightwear! And don't let Snow see what you're getting. Lebreau, while we're here, might as well get something for the younger sister as well."

"What's wrong..." Gadot's glare silenced Serah's question, but Lebreau instantly understood what her boyfriend was up to. It seemed he wasn't playing match maker for just one person, and the look of confusion on Noel's face would be well worth the effort.

Turning to Yuj and Noel; "You two just tag along. I would ask Yuj to help you find something, but you'll come out looking like a colorful rainbow."

"Hey!" Yuj shouted.

"Aren't we here for Light and Snow," Noel reminded him.

"Yeah, and if you think we're throwing him a birthday party with everyone else looking like bums; forget it! In fact," turning to Yuj, "You handle the refreshment side of things. Get a hold of those other friends of Light's."

With only Gadot and Noel now at her sides, she could only shake her head in confusion. "Gadot, why are you doing this?"

"Do you love him?" He stopped, forcing Lightning to jump back before crashing into him. "I guess I should have asked that to begin with; Snow's my best friend, and I'll be damned if I'm going to unknowingly set him up and..."

"I won't hurt him," Light promised.

"That's not what I asked."

"I..."

"Don't," Noel cut her off, one glance silencing anything Gadot was about to ask. "Snow's content with the way things are; if you want to take it a step further, that's your choice and your choice alone."

"Does he want something more?" She had no idea why it was so important to her, but the question had been dancing around in her mind for several days now. Anyone else would have given up on her, but Snow hadn't, and he never asked for anything in return. Never.

"Like I want something more from your sister?" he admitted. "We're always hopeful that the one we love will one day feel the same, but if we truly want someone bad enough, we can't force another beyond what they're ready to give us."

"She loves you."

"Wha-?"

"Let's just say that she chose, and it wasn't Snow." And without another word of explanation, she quietly followed after Gadot. No, the second in command wasn't content with her lack of an answer, but how did she explain what she didn't understand herself. 'How did she feel about Snow?'


	8. The Warpath Home

The Warpath Home

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><p>Once again, with no time to worry over Lightning or Serah, Snow had to take place at the front of the resistance. These people were depending on him, and he had his doubts about their chances of survival. Recently, he felt as if all he did was fail the people he had sworn to protect, and that was his childhood friends, Serah, and her older sister. Whatever hold the Sanctum had over Lightning, seemed to no longer exist, but he was here, and she was on her own, cutting through the enemy in a desperate effort to reach her sister in time. With Maqui towards the rear, Gadot and Lebreau took the front positions along side their Commander. If Gadot had his way, his girlfriend would have been in the rear also, but Lebreau wasn't the type to take a back seat when the people she loved were in the middle of a fire fight for their lives. She'd prefer to die at their side, then be left to mourn their loss. Snow couldn't blame her.<p>

Snow longed for what those two had, someone to fight at his side, the complicated him in every aspect and had his back. Someone like Lightning, but because of circumstances beyond her control, she had been forced to keep him and everyone else at an emotional and physical distance. He just had no idea what; nor did it look like he was going to have the opportunity to ask. Watching them fight side-by-side, he found himself envious of what he couldn't and would never have. Neither overshadowed or tried to change the other, and despite Gadot's intimidating presence, he loved Lebreau to distraction. However, that didn't mean he allowed anyone to overstep themselves with her.

Even if they wanted to surrender, it didn't seem like PSICOM or the Sanctum would allow it, refusing to let a single person walk away from here alive. That had been the intent from the beginning, and for the rest of his life, he'd never stop until he brought them down. Those on the train were a mix of Bodhum residents and those caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those from Bodhum sided with NORA, knowing that Snow would have never endangered their lives if possible. Then there were those that believed that NORA should have done nothing, that their fates wouldn't change regardless if they fought or not.

Every step they took, NORA had to fight for, with Lebreau grabbing medical packs, while Gadot snatched up weapons and ammunition to hand down to other volunteers. It agitated Gadot that Snow refused to use anything other than Grenades or his bare hands to fight, but if it was one thing anyone knew about the tall blonde, was never to comment on his style of fighting. Gadot had made that mistake once, and he really didn't feel like experiencing another set of broken ribs for Snow to prove his point. Snow didn't fight fair, and every inch of him was pure muscle.

Since he was twelve, Snow had never lost a fight in his life, but Gadot had his money on the Soldier Girl, Lightning Farron. Once, before today's events on the train, Gadot had wondered if Lightning had been insane enough to fight Snow, who would come out the better fighter? Could Snow take her, or would he have finally met his match? Word on the street and in the bars from drunken Soldiers was that Lightning none had ever bested Farron in any form of combat; hand-to-hand, or weapons. The stripes on her shoulder were hard enough to get, especially as young as she was. With her impressive Gun Blade, he had his doubts about Snow besting her, but if he could somehow manage to disarm her, there was a strong possibility Snow would come out the victor.

One might think that with the heavy losses PSICOM was taking, the Sanctum might reconsider their idea of the 'Purge.' Did the people not have the right to defend themselves and their families; or did they truly just assume that Bodhum was simply to lie down and die? What was the Sanctum so afraid of? One girl accidentally being marked as a l'Cie? She didn't even know what her Focus was, but she wouldn't harm Cocoon. Someone had to survive, to tell the world what was taking place here, and to make sure no one else had to face another 'Purge.'

"We're not losing to PSICOM, you hear me?" Snow told them, attempting to generate morale to NORA and the volunteers.

"This will be a piece of cake," Lebreau shouted in defiance, her expression pale from exhaustion. Snow had no idea how much longer she could continue at the pace they had gone all day, but they had no choice. It was either keep fighting, or give up and let PSICOM finish what they had started on the trains. Unlike PSICOM, the resistance couldn't afford to lose even one person, their numbers and ammunition limited. Every bullet had to count, and with the falling of each person, just fueled Snow's rage and determination to make it through.

"Stay sharp! We don't want to make their job any easier."

"Sorry, Boss!" Gadot replied back. Sweat glistened his bare chest, and the day's events was taking a toll on all of them. If they didn't find a break in the fight soon, they weren't going to be able to go further.

"You're the one I'm worried about," Snow snapped. "Try not to get carried away. Lebreau isn't exactly my type, and I refuse to deal with her crying over your dead body." His red-haired friend simply smiled, as if this were just a leisurely stroll through the park than a battlefield. "Lebreau, keep it up!" Her main task was to make sure they kept a full supply of potions and bandages.

Blood stained her clothes and hair, but she said nothing about the cuts on her forehead and arm, downing the potions only if she needed it. As long as they continued to make steady progress, Snow didn't find himself overly concerned. Just as all of them were starting to feel like they'd see the end of all the heavy fighting and they'd catch a moment to rest, he spotted one of the commanders on top of a platform, shouting orders for PSICOM troops to withdraw. He couldn't believe they'd finally find themselves free to walk out of here, and his worst fears were realized at the commander's next order. "Mobilize beta force! Put down the resistance!"

Snow paled, all of them realizing that the situation had just gone from bad to worse. The Sanctum, tired of the heavy losses they were suffering, were sending in their bio-weapons. As a child, he had spent several hours reading through classified files, and in doing so, discovered a lot of the Sanctum's more dirty secrets. He heard the sound of an aerial craft, and on it, was one of his nightmare's realized; a Beta Behemoth. Already a difficult monster to deal with in the wild, this creature had been greatly altered and enhanced through PSICOM's bio-engineering program. On the creature's body was plated armor, exposing only the veins and tendons.

On the feet were metal spikes, and when it moved, sparks flew. Gadot and Lebreau didn't seem overly enthusiastic about engaging it, but they had no where to go. Like everything else that day, all they could do was move forward and hope to survive. Snow didn't want to kill the creature, not this way. Behemoth's were extremely intelligent, but with the metal wires sticking out of it, the creature no longer had control over its actions, or a will of its own. "Heroes don't run from fights," he shouted, letting his anger surge to the surface. Now was the time for the real Snow, a Commander that had nearly ten years of pent up aggression towards the Sanctum. "We fight, and we survive!" he roared in defiance.

Gadot knew Snow was at his limits, under a tremendous amount of pressure to save not only the train passengers, but worried about Serah's fate, and whether or not Lightning would make it through to her. It amazed that despite his personal concerns, he was still managing to keep everything together, refusing to give into despair, and fighting with the same intensity that he had started with earlier that morning. Until they managed to bring him down, Snow would never give up. Despite Snow's philosophy of charging in without a plan, Snow actually did just the opposite, thinking out every step along their path to freedom.

As if to prove the alterations done to it, the Behemoth stood to its feet, a red glow behind it's head armor, before dropping back down to all fours and charging forward. Every blow sent a jolt of pain in their bodies, but Lebreau kept them healed with her potions. It was really an unfair fight considering the circumstances, but now was not the time for animal right considerations. After finishing off the Behemoth, the resistance took up positions behind barriers and began to take the offensive, for once showing signs that they might turn the tide of the war.

Desperate people, took desperate risks. Gadot, as usual, took the lead, and everyone followed his example as he charged forward and fired at the Soldiers. Most of the people seemed to know when to fire, pull back behind a barrier, and repeat the process. Each person that died, would increase the odds of them not making it, so everyone was careful and decisive. Each bullet had to count, and it was working.

The fight didn't seem like it was going to go anywhere, and just when he was trying to decide his next course of action, PSICOM suddenly withdrew again. He had no idea what they were about to bring in this time, but he didn't have to wait long when a loud roar drowned out the sound of gunfire. It was a large gun ship, with fully equipped machine guns that had the ability to fire off more than a thousand rounds per minute from just one gun. There were at least ten, and that was only the ones on the front of the ship. Yanking the woman back, using his larger body to shield her, he noted the concern on her face.

She had surprised him with her calm acceptance of the situation, not like the others that seemed to make rash decisions. "Not good," she whispered. He wanted to ask how she seemed to know so much about PSICOM's tactics and machinery, but now wasn't the time or the place. The woman was a fighter, familiar with the weapon in her hands, despite looking like a housewife. What was she really?

Every inch they had gained no longer mattered as the gun ship tore through their numbers. Anyone in the direct line of fire instantly died, and Gadot just managed to pull back, his body pressing Lebreau to the ground beneath him. She shouted at him to get off, but he wasn't going to listen, his head lifting just enough to look at their commander. "Snow! We got trouble!" his voice panicked and desperate.

Rising slightly to his feet, looking around, "no kidding." He had no idea how they were going to survive this one. If anyone moved at this point, they'd find themselves full of bullets. However, if they remained, the barriers wouldn't last long either. This was bad, very bad, and it looked like a bullet had grazed Lebreau's arm despite Gadot's best efforts to shield her. She cried out in pain, but she bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to curl into a tighter ball beneath Gadot.

Looking all around him, trying to find something, anything to fight back with, his eyes spotted a rocket launcher not far away. It was exactly what he needed to fire at the guns on the ship, but the chances of reaching it were not exactly in his favor. He was a big man, and despite his speed and agility, he was still an open target once he left the barrier.

He had no choice though. This mother had a kid to return to, and all these people were counting on him. Taking a deep breath, pressing a hand on the small of the woman's back; "Stay down!" he ordered, and took off, charging forward with all the speed he could gather in his exhausted state.

Snow kept waiting for a bullet to slam him back, but he wasn't going to stop until he had that rocket launcher. Luck on his side, the gun ship was in the process of reloading, and he took a flying leap, as if he were a line backer or receiver for a football team. However, his luck vanished at that leap, and as his fingers grazed the weapon, he went too far, rolled, and the weapon went sliding too far back. The gunship stopped firing completely, and with a hiss of pain, Snow watched as it used a different kind of weapon to aim at him. The Sanctum knew the NORA commander, and now that they had him in site, they had every intention of destroying any hope the resistance had by setting an example with him. It was more fire power than was necessary, but by taking him out, they'd also destroy the entire platform. The resistance would die, and PSICOM would only have the stragglers to police up at that point.

For almost six years, the woman had been on the run, moving her son from one city to the next. How was she to know that Bodhum was the home of Serah Farron, but it wasn't Serah the Sanctum had an interest in? Watching PSICOM try to take out Serah, and the desperate efforts of this man to save her, she realized he had so much potential as a commander, and if anyone had a chance of getting these people out alive, it was him. It was a slim chance, but if he died here, the people would lower their weapons, and PSICOM would gloat in their victory as they finished what they had started two hours ago.

Every person he led into battle, unlike PSICOM or the Guardian Corps, he cared for. Before today, she had never met him, but he had all the traits of an exceptional commander and leader. For her son, she made her choice, and walking forward as PSICOM had their sights set on Snow, she lifted the rocket launcher, placed it on her shoulder, and fired. PSICOM had lost track of her over the years, but she knew their weak points, and with one shot, she scored a critical hit on the hull, saving the NORA commander at the same time.

It was the last thing any of them had expected, and staring at the ship, she lowered the weapon and then glanced down at him. Snow had no idea what to say or do, his mouth hanging open in shocked awe. This was a woman that carried herself like a true warrior, so much like Lightning that he almost thought they might be related, but Serah never mentioned having anyone else. Who was this woman? With a gentle smile and respect in her blue gaze, she offered him a hand. "I told you, didn't I? Mom's are tough."

If he had any doubts, he didn't then. However, he didn't assume she was just a mother anymore. This woman had military training, and for whatever reason, had been masquerading as a civilian. Why? He wanted to ask her, but they weren't given the chance when the ship swung it's rear around to give off one last shot before it exploded and fell to the depths below. It was a direct hit, an explosion ripping the Trussway from it's hinges and causing it to collapse.

The heat of the blast rushed towards them, and once again, she chose to make a last sacrifice. This man had to survive, her life didn't matter anymore, especially if they found out she was here. They'd go after her son, and that couldn't happen. Knocking Snow to the ground, she covered him, the impact of the explosion rendering him unconscious. Snow didn't see as Gadot and the volunteers slid to their deaths, leaving only Lebreau hanging onto the sides. Just like that, in one shot, everything had ended, and with it, any hope of a victory or escape.

* * *

><p>Not far away, watching from another platform, those that had chosen to stay back and not fight, watched in horror as people fell to their deaths. However, a boy only had eyes for Snow and a woman lying on a platform that still hadn't collapsed. Neither of them were moving, his mother badly hurt.<p>

Snow, the first to regain consciousness, felt something pressing him to the ground. His head throbbed, and he felt a ringing sensation in his ears as he tried to regain a sense of what was happening and why there was blood running out of his nose and ears. Lying on top of him was the woman, barely breathing, and the smell of burnt fresh reached his nostrils. Eyes going wide, he pushed aside his pain and tried to sit up, gently holding her barely conscious form close.

If he didn't give her a potion, she'd die from her injuries. "Why? Why did you save me?"

"The Sanctum..." She whimpered, to where only he heard. "...too powerful... murdered... my sister..." Tired blue eyes opened and stared up at him, a gentle brushing of her fingers against his bearded face. "They're afraid..."

"Hang on," he pleaded with her. She just had to survive. Didn't she have a son? Curling his strong arms beneath her, ignoring the shaking of her head to leave her, he began moving backwards, and just as he thought he might make it, the rest of the platform gave way. Snagging a cable wire, he snatched her wrist, roaring in pain as he felt his shoulder pop, but he didn't dare let go. He had to hang on, but she was so heavy, and he watched in helpless despair as she literally died, whispering one last request.

"Get him home... please..." He wasn't ready to quit yet, trying to tighten his grip.

"Hold on!"

She smiled, her eyes closing, and she died, unaware as she slipped from his grasp and fell. Screaming, Snow reached for her, his cry mirroring the boy watching not far away. Staring at his now empty hand, Snow finally felt the weight of NORA's failed attempt at freedom, and the guilt overpowered him as the platform finally collapsed. Screaming himself, he fell after the woman, uncertain if he'd live or not.

Everything had happened so fast, and yet it seemed over at the same time. The boy, numb with emotional pain and horror, could only stand there and watch for the impossible. His mother wasn't dead... he didn't want to believe it, and he barely registered the hands shaking his shoulders and the voice telling him they needed to leave. "Come on." She tugged on his arm, but he didn't budge, his mind in shock.

Turning him around, the girl slapped him hard across the face, hoping to bring him back to reality. She knew the pain of war, and the losses suffered on both sides; however, she didn't have the luxury of allowing herself to wallow in despair or what ifs. "We have to move!" His heart shattered, he let her lead him away, "All right." Once again re-joining the survivors, he saw two of the NORA members, Lebreau and Maqui. She was badly hurt, tears streaming down her face, Maqui pouring potions down her throat. She didn't want them, but he wasn't listening, and for once he wasn't whining or complaining. The potions might have healed her injuries, but her heart had shattered like the boy's.

With the loss of both her childhood friends, Lebreau simply shut down. In the end, it was Yuj that came to their rescue, somehow getting the rest of the survivors together and moving them across the Trussway. What he found left him in a state of shock. Most of the men were no longer with them, leaving only a large group of children, a couple of young mothers, and two members of NORA. Lebreau hadn't stopped crying, and Maqui was surprisingly quiet.

He had no idea what to do, but if he didn't do something and fast, the remaining survivors would die in a matter of minutes. Storming up to Lebreau, he did the bravest thing he had ever done in his life and slapped her hard across the face, startling her into silence. "Now is not the time!" he hissed, tears in his own eyes. "I need you; do you understand me!"

Barking orders, the children followed the other train survivors, and Yuj slammed another rifle into Lebreau's hands. She didn't seem to know what was happening, but she didn't drop it, but moved forward, as if on auto pilot. Maqui started to say something, but Yuj growled at him to take up post at the front, while he took the rear. He wanted to cry himself, but until they were all dead or safely out of this place, he wasn't going to do it. It's what Snow would have expected of him, and that's exactly what he did.


	9. Reflections - Part Five

(Reflections** - Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Five<strong>

She had no idea how exhausting this could be, trying one outfit on after another. Nearly an hour later, she could only stare at herself in the mirror, startled at the contrast compared to what she had always worn in the past. This wasn't a military uniform, nor armor; instead, staring back at her was a woman that she didn't recognized, dressed in jeans, and a black, zip up jacket. Around her neck was a black scarf, and nothing that she currently wore resembled the old Lightning.

With hesitant fingers, she touched the glass, tracing every line she saw reflected back at her. Was that really herself; a woman with curves and sky-blue eyes. "Hey!" she heard Gadot shout; "You coming out of there or not!"

Honestly, she wasn't comfortable with the person she saw staring back at her; what if 'he' didn't like it? What if he hated it and decided he didn't want... She shook her head violently, Snow had more reasons to hate her than anyone. Because of her, a lot of people had died, to include, but not limited to Serah. He had been marked, not once, but twice as a l'Cie, and because of her, had almost spent the rest of eternity as a Cie'th. Yes, she had them back, but that didn't absolve her of the past.

Why wasn't Serah with him anymore? Was that her fault as well? Was she holding him back? She had to let him go; so terrified of allowing herself to love and risk losing him. Losing Serah had almost destroyed her, causing her to submit to a five hundred year crystal sleep. If she lost Snow... Sinking to the floor, her forehead pressed against the smooth glass, she struggled to breathe... The problem with having all her emotions back... she had no idea how to get them back under control; something she had always prided herself on.

And then the fear and pain subsided; she knew he was close, and she hated herself for needing the safety and comfort he provided. Lightning had never had that for herself, not even as a child, and it was easy to let Snow take over. "Light, open the door." She couldn't let him see her like this; not again.

Snow literally couldn't function without her, and when he felt the storm of fear in his mind, his soul ached with her, having no idea how to piece back together what was broken. Ever since the re-discovering of her locked away emotions, she had no idea how to control or sensor them; they were raw and honest, something she had never allowed herself the luxury as a Soldier. They had come so close to losing her, and he'd never stop fighting for her, not in this life time, and not in the next either.

There might have come a time when hell would have frozen over before Light ever admitted to anything like fear or doubt, and without hesitation, Snow had pushed his way towards the changing room and pressed his hand against the door, allowing himself to mentally and emotionally connect with her. At first she tried to resist, overwhelmed with guilt and self-loathing. She didn't want to hold him back anymore, to deny him the happiness he deserved, and that alone had him wanting to fight for her that much harder.

"You're an idiot, Light," Snow gently teased. "You keep assuming to know what it is I want or don't want, that you're flawed and not worth the same happiness, dreams, and future as the rest of us. If not for you, none of us would even be here; if that doesn't deserve a chance, then tell me Light; what does? I was a Cie'th, Light!" The sound of the lock turning had him stepping back, and when she opened the door, he gently pulled her into the shelter of his arms.

It was so easy to love her; Light honestly had no concept of how beautiful she was, inside or out. "Anyone else... if you had been anyone else... nothing should have been able to find what little remained of who or what I was. It was dark and lonely, and all I could think about was how I failed to keep the only thing you cared for safe... You refused to let me go; I heard you screaming and crying out for me to come back. You have no idea... no idea at all. It's not what you wear or what you look like... Don't you understand anything... you're the light to my darkness, the salvation when there shouldn't have been any at all, for a soul consumed in chaos... If you truly don't want me; I'll turn and walk away right now; but know that there will never be another. I have made my choice, and that choice is a woman that never stops fighting for what she believes in. You continue to hope when there's none to be found, and you continue to stand when everyone else has fallen."

He felt her slowly calm, listening and soaking in every word he said, allowing his strength to draw and wrap around her. Did he truly want her? "You have no idea," he growled. Lightning blushed, recalling the few times when they had allowed their desires to consume them, and Snow definitely wasn't attempting to hide what his body craved from her. Light wasn't very good with open displays of affection, but she decided to try, not for Snow, but for herself. A part of her had wanted saving as much as the others, or she wouldn't have taken Snow's or Hope's hands when they had come after her in the heart of Chaos.

Letting him take her hand, they continued shopping for awhile longer before heading to the food court, Serah and Lebreau already waiting at a table for them. "Nice outfit, sis," Serah complimented. Apparently they weren't the only ones to notice Light, and Snow tugged her closer, glaring at everyone to look elsewhere. His expression said it all; '_Mine. Approach at your own risk_.' Lightning laughed, perfectly content with who she was with. No one else had the right to have her; deep down she knew this, she just needed to believe again, give happiness one more try.

Noel quietly joined Serah, tugging her into his lap, before snatching something from her lunch tray. "What is it?" he asked, reaching for another piece.

"I think they're called French Fries."

Snow reached for one, his eyes going wide before he temporarily released Light and went to order more. "You should try an ice cream cone, Light," Lebreau suggested.

"Why?"

"Let's just say I think you'll enjoy Snow's reaction." Grabbing Light's hand, they went to another counter, "One chocolate and one vanilla cone, please."

"Hey!" Serah shouted, rushing over. "Don't forget mine! Strawberry please!" Handing Light the chocolate ice cream cone, she looked at it, and then Lebreau, having no idea what to do. "Sis... Haven't you ever had ice cream before?"

"I..."

Lebreau, as if sensing Light's growing anxiety, smiled and took a lick from her cone. Following her lead, Light did the same, taken by complete surprise at how cold and good the thing was. _So this was why all the Soldiers went to the ice cream shop after their shifts?_ It never made any sense to her, and she had often avoided large populated areas over simply going home to make a light lunch or dinner. She started to take a bigger bite when Lebreau and Serah both stopped her; a twinkle of mischief sparkling in their eyes.

"No, no, Light... You can't just take a bite out of it! Not if you have a boyfriend!" Serah protested.

"Serah!" Noel shouted, reaching for and taking her cone. "You can't do that," he laughed; "not here."

"Why not?" Lebreau taunted, dashing out of the line and Gadot's reach. Swirling her tongue around her vanilla ice cream, Gadot lunged for her, causing her to squeal and dash outside, her boyfriend not far behind. Just as he was about to catch her, she tossed it in his face, swiping it from his nose, and licking it from her finger, before taking off again.

"Get back here," Gadot shouted, but Lebreau was extremely good at evasive maneuvers.

Noel seemed content with just sharing his cone with Serah, not going through the same antics as the other two. Lightning had no idea if she should eat it, lick it, or just toss it. Snow, still oblivious to everything going on, was starting to return with a tray full of food when he froze and watched as Lightning decided to tempt fate and swirl her tongue slowly in small circles around her chocolate ice cream cone. Serah gasped, shocked that her sister had actually done it, having no idea the kind of reaction most males had to what she was doing or how she was doing it.

Completely naive to Snow and every other male turning to watch her, she continued to slowly savor every drop, amazed that something like ice cream could taste so good. Once she reached the cone part, she glanced at Serah, clueless about the deafening silence in the food court; "Now what? Do I just continue licking it out of here..." She really hated to think she'd have to throw away what was left, and she paused, watching Serah turn bright red, and Noel at a loss for words as he closed and opened his mouth in an effort to answer her question without making it sound like he was trying to make the situation any worse or perverted.

Snow might not have cared if Noel had traveled through time and space with Serah, but he might have an issue if he tried to explain that eating ice cream the way she was, in the middle of a crowded shopping center, wasn't a great idea. "What's wrong?" Light seriously asked, trying to figure out why her sister suddenly seemed so tense, shifting from one foot to the next. "Did I do it wrong? Maybe if you showed me how to do this..."

"Stop," Snow growled. Startled, she turned to see him coming straight for her, food forgotten, and a heat in his gaze that terrified and excited her at the same time. "You might want to run," Serah suggested.

"Why?"

"Because that's part of the game."

"Light..." Snow warned, and curious to what would happen if she did, Light tossed the cone straight at him, watching as it splattered on his perfectly combed hair.

"Oops..." Serah gasped, trying hard to stifle her laughter. And Light was off, Snow not far behind.

"You guys did that on purpose," Yuj accused, watching as Lebreau and Gadot walked back in, a smirk on their faces.

"Politeness is not what she needs," Gadot explained, the group rejoining Yuj. At least they didn't have to worry about getting more food, all of them enjoying Snow's forgotten lunch. "Did you get the refreshments," he asked.

"Yep."

"Serah, did you call Light's friends?"

"Yep."

"Lebreau, nightwear and games for tonight covered?"

"Got it!"

"Looks like we're having a party then."

"What's so special about a birthday party?" Noel asked.

"I forget you didn't have a lot to celebrate," Serah commented, but said nothing else. With what Lebreau and Serah had planned, any loose ends after the party would be effectively eliminated.


	10. Fallen Innocence

Fallen Innocence

* * *

><p>Riding the sky bridge and watching the battle unfold below them, Lightning's eyes widened, her back turned towards Sazh. He wouldn't have any idea what she was thinking, or that she might have feared who might have been with the group falling to their deaths. He had promised... She had no idea why she thought she could count on him, but she had. There was a small part of her that thought, if he had managed to survive the initial attack, he would have eventually met up with her.<p>

However, that hope dimmed as she watched so many people perish in a carefully executed attack. Even if PSICOM lost the gun ship, taking out that platform, killed most, if not all the resistance against the Sanctum. _Snow..._ She kept telling herself that she hated the NORA commander, that to rely on anyone other than herself was complete nonsense and childish. Since she was 16, she had only herself, and any chance at friendship or a life of her own, the Sanctum made sure never happened.

That is why she had fought so hard against his efforts to recruit her, but there had been moments when she looked into his blue gaze, she saw so much more reflected back at her. He wanted more than just another recruit, and she had never dared to allowed herself the luxury of considering the option. Now, as she watched the events in front of her unfold, she wanted nothing more than to apologize for the things she had said to him.

Sazh, fueled with rage and oblivious to her internal pain, stared in horror as the resistance died. If she had to guess, Sazh was in his late forties, a gloved hand on a cable bar. If he continued to follow her at this point, what did it matter? The chances of her finding the Pulse Vestige were slim, and her sister even slimmer.

Lightning had known the moment she boarded the train people were going to die, but not like this. Trained in combat, she understood the losses both sides took, but this wasn't even a fair conflict. PSICOM had so much fire power, so many resources to pull from, that even with the assault rifles the people had found and used, they were not a match against a fully militarized strike. All these people had wanted was to find a safe haven from all the violence. _Is this my fault?_ She wanted to sink to her knees and clutch at her head, but she didn't dare.

Her parents had died at sixteen, and the Sanctum had kept her locked away for days, asking question after question. In the end, they had allowed her to walk away, but on the condition she join the military. One wrong move, and they'd force her to watch Serah die in a public execution. She wasn't Pulse, but the Sanctum seemed certain that she was, and everything she did, the Sanctum scrutinized. For almost two years, the Sanctum randomly performed tests on her, and if she tried to fight them, they either made it extremely painful, or threatened her with her sister.

To say that she hated the Sanctum was an under statement, but Serah had always kept her in line. On the lonely ride over the Hanging Edge, both of them could only watch, one with despair, the other with a growing rage. Sazh was the closest, standing at the edge, and his hand on a cable wire. "It's an out-and-out massacre," he hissed, seething with anger. "Those people won't even live long enough to die on Pulse."

She couldn't blame him for not knowing the Sanctum's true nature, and Lightning no longer had a reason to keep quiet about it. For the moment, they were companions, going with the flow of things. She didn't know when they would die, only that they would die, but she'd continue going for as long as she could. Didn't anyone pay attention to their history lessons? Pulse was a resisting shadow of Cocoon, the home of unknown terrors, and the land believed to be inhospitable to humans. Since the War of Transgression, no one had been allowed to travel to Pulse. As far as Cocoon was concerned, Pulse was hell, and people feared it. The younger generation might have had an excuse for not knowing the truth about Pulse, but not this man. He was older than her, and not being in the military wasn't an excuse. Even Snow wouldn't have believed that the Sanctum would have allowed them to go to the lower world.

"That was the idea," she quietly agreed with him. Joining him at the edge, not bothering to hold on, she watched the glow of the fire. Was Snow one of the ones that had fallen? She had no idea, or if he had been on one of the trains at all. Despite her animosity towards them, her sister had a connection to them, and if she never saw her again, they were the only people to have been with her prior to becoming a fal'Cie slave. Her voice was melancholy, having time to reflect on the past several hours and days.

Startled at her response, thinking she might have known about this, he stared at her in horror and distrust. "What?" There was no anger or hatred he could find on her face, only sorrow and pity for the people below them. He might have been one of them, but instead he had chosen to follow this woman. These people had been so brave, but in the end, for nothing. PSICOM, as lazy as they were, had enough fire power at their disposal to make up for the lack of training over the past several centuries.

At that moment, she seemed more uncertain and young, than she had ever felt since the death of her parents. She had never told anyone how or why they had died, despite Snow's efforts through Serah to find out. That was one thing Serah hadn't been able to give him, nor had Lightning been willing to make her sister suffer with the knowledge. No, she'd take those memories with her to the grave.

Snow had been 16 when he founded NORA, and five years into it's creation, Lighting had joined the Guardian Corps. Now, at 21, she had finally returned home to Bodhum to discover that her sister had joined their ranks, and fearful for her life and safety, she had clashed with the NORA commander, Snow Villiers. Granted, NORA had a purpose, and judging from today's events, an important one.

Despite all that, however, she had wanted her sister as far from military organizations as possible. Snow had tried more than once to recruit Lightning, but she fought him at every turn, but not for the reasons he thought. In truth, she was terrified of the Sanctum, having just as much of a reason to hate them as Snow. However, unlike Snow who only had his friends to consider, she had her sister and her well-being to think about. It didn't matter anymore. The fal'Cie had taken her, and even if Lightning managed to find her, the Sanctum would never stop pursuing Serah, not until she was dead and no longer a threat. As soon as they managed that, they'd turn all effort to finding her. It all started with her, and it would all end with her.

Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes, not for the first time since all of this had started. She refused to let them fall, to ever show weakness to those around her. To everyone, she was an emotionless robot, only caring about the mission and nothing more. Serah saw through it, and she had a hunch Snow did as well, at least partially. He knew she possessed memories of a devastating past, but even if she had told him, there was nothing the idiot could have done to change it.

Glancing at Sazh from the corner of her blue eyes, she gave him a full explanation for once. They weren't in the middle of a fight, and until they landed, she had time to answer his questions. "Sanctum logic. They conjured up the Purge to eliminate a threat." How did she best explain this to a civilian that had always believed in his government? Most of the people did, and she didn't blame them really. It was easier to believe that those that gave them orders, had their best interests at heart. She knew better.

Kneeling, acting as if she were studying everything below, she continued to battle her overwhelming emotions. Everything was to close to the surface, and she had no way to tell anyone that she was sorry. If she had listened, none of these people would have had to die today. "I mean - why carry the danger all the way to Pulse?" Did he hear the guilt in her voice, the agony of what her actions had caused.

At the moment, she no longer cared if he had tagged a long. So long as they were still moving, she'd ensure his safety. She had the training, and he would have been one of those civilians if he had stayed with NORA instead of her. The situation was hopeless regardless of which path he might have chosen. Once she had herself back under control, the anger back in her voice, she stood and faced him. "Why not just stamp it out here?"

She had never hated the military as much as she did then. Would the Corps side with PSICOM? She didn't want to fight the people that she had once trained with, but if they chose to fight for PSICOM, then they supported what had happened here today, even if it was unknowingly. She'd never forgive this, and for the rest of her life, she'd fight a personal war against the Sanctum and PSICOM. This must never be allowed to happen again. "Execution masquerading as exile." She met his stunned look with one of her own, trying to make him understand. "That's all the Purge ever was." She was former military herself, so she understood what they were doing and why. It didn't mean she agreed with it, nor would she participate in this kind of behavior.

Listening to her explanation, he wasn't sure how to feel about Lightning. She didn't seem to like what was happening, but she was a Soldier. Didn't that now make her an enemy? He threw up his hands in confusion, wanting to hate her, but not able to. "Relocation to Pulse. How does the government get away with pulling crap like that?" Whirling back around to look at her, her head turned away; "And you - you knew this was going to happen?" He was angry, and justifiably so. If she had been in his shoes, she might have felt the same, but she wasn't. Not since she was a child, did she blindly believe in what was told to her, a mindless puppet for the government to control.

She shook her head violently; she seemed just as taken aback at the length the Sanctum was going to kill these people, but she also understood the military better than Sazh. It had been her entire life for almost six years, and if it hadn't been for her sister, there was a good chance she'd have been one of the ones called in to stamp this out. However, she didn't see any sign of Guardian Corps here; they possessed a stronger empathy towards the people than PSICOM, and she wanted to believe that the Corps would refuse to do this. "The Purge was PSICOM. Private sanctum troops, not the Guardian Corps." Until she learned that Guardian Corps was her enemy, she'd defend their honor.

"PSICOM, Guardian Corps... Soldiers are Soldiers, aren't they?" he shouted, trying to rationalize this kind of murder. It made no sense to him, but when she looked at him with so much sadness, her emotional barriers down, he had to look away. She stared down at the dead Soldier close by them, the situation finally hitting home to her. If she had stayed with the military, or even joined PSICOM instead of the Corps, that might have been her. The Sanctum had given her a choice, join either military organization, or they'd take Serah from her. No, they would have killed her in front of her, and then kept experimenting on her. As long as they had Serah, she was beneath their full control.

_No..._ That was in the past and it needed to stay there, behind locked doors where no one would ever discover what had happened.

"Pulse fal'Cie, and their l'Cie, are enemies of the state. Tell a Soldier to kill an enemy... and you really think it's gonna matter what uniform he's wearing?"

He truly didn't get it. There was always more than one side of a coin, and all he chose was to mix the sides together, as if they were the same. Would he assume NORA was like the Corps or PSICOM if he had been given a choice to join them instead. Just because an organization had military training or knowledge, did not necessarily make them a direct threat. The same was said of the l'Cie that everyone seemed so afraid. She knew her sister, and Serah would never harm the citizens of Cocoon. Why couldn't anyone other than Snow or herself see that? She jerked her head at the dead Soldier; "Might have mattered to that one. Couldn't shoot, got himself shot instead."

With her emotions carefully back where they belonged, buried, she walked away from Sazh and no longer felt like explaining the differences. Sazh had to make up his own mind, and he either had to continue following her, or go his own way. "How about you?" he demanded of her, trying to figure everything out through his confusion. A Soldier, in his eyes, especially after what he had just witnessed, were as bad as the l'Cie threat. Still, if she had been like PSICOM, she wouldn't have bothered trying to help him. She had several opportunities to turn on him, and other than the one incident from earlier, she hadn't tried to stop him. Even then, she hadn't struck to kill, only to disable. "Orders say shoot, you pull the trigger?"

Lightning had said everything worth saying, slipping back into silence. He had gotten a lot more out of her than anyone else ever had, and it wasn't something she felt like repeating. Conversations meant they were becoming friends, and she refused to make them. Friends meant a liability or getting them killed by PSICOM, and she'd never give that to the Sanctum more than she already had. Serah was enough, and while they threatened to kill her, Lightning was now their enemy. "Fine! Forget I asked!" She already had, but something brought her out of her depression. Action kept her focused, but this wasn't something she would have chosen as a distraction.

"Wait... What..." The last thing she wanted to fight, was the metal monster flying past them. It was possible the thing had been intended for the resistance, but having spotted them, it changed course and straight for the sky bridge. It was a Myrmidon, possessing strong attacks that could and would damage them both. Not only did she have to fight it, but keep both of them alive with potions. One critical hit and she was done for, as well as her angry side-kick.

Thankfully the Myrmidon focused all it's attacks on Sazh, thinking him the bigger threat because of his pistols. It wasn't the first time her adversaries under estimated her, but she wasn't about to call foul play and demand equal opportunity. In this case, she'd let them learn when she chopped the thing to pieces. Throwing Sazh potions when he needed it, she used her blade to slice into key sections of the enemies metal armor, watching sparks fly into they managed to land a critical hit.

Sazh had to admit that she was good, and she always had his back regardless of how she felt about him. No, she wasn't like PSICOM, and he had to take it on faith that he could continue to trust and follow her. He had no other choice, and if she truly wanted to, he'd never have a chance at stopping her from taking his life. She knew the robot was being controlled from a computer, and by the time PSICOM realized they had chosen the wrong, initial target, the machine was already destroyed and crumpling to the ground.

* * *

><p>At first, she thought the Myrmidon had been dispatched for her or the resistance, but seconds later, she discovered the real reason. All fighting had paused, and the intercom sirens blared to life again. It had been moving to intercept something... the Pulse Vestige. The place, other than the Trussway lights, had been dark, but the military quickly lit up the entire Hanging Edge, and turned lights towards a spot in the ceiling. "What's that?"<p>

_Exactly what I'm after,_ she thought. Apparently it wasn't her time to die after all, and as long as she still had a chance to find her sister, she wasn't going to stop. Basically, the ports in the ceiling were like gates for freight to be lowered into outgoing and incoming trains, or at least that had been the purpose before the War of Transgression. Now was the same, but the freight that started to lower through the port, was none other than the Pulse Vestige, the reason so many had died.

Lightning hated the object dropping in front of them, but at the same time, she felt awed at the size of it. "Attention purge deportees! Attention purge deportees!" If the Sanctum thought the Bodhum citizens would believe relocation to Pulse at this point, they were bigger fools than she thought. Only an idiot would believe the Sanctum had their interests at heart after taking out an entire town of civilians. Any survivor left was already running for their lives, joining together if possible, and hiding if they thought it was best to try on his or her own. "Put down your weapons and surrender immediately."

She had read of this place, but in the light, she turned and saw that the Hanging Edge was not only enormous, but an incredible design of architecture. It had been the main focal point from one city to the next, now long forgotten and mentioned in history books. She doubted seriously people studied this in normal classes, but in military history. There were so many platforms, and below, she made out the wreckage of the trains.

The thing she had given up everything for, was now before her. This thing was responsible for so much, Bodhum, her sister, and regardless of how she felt about the Sanctum, this thing needed to go. However, the Vestige didn't seem to even fight back, letting the Sanctum escort it through the outer rim. What was going on?

"Your removal is the will of the people of Cocoon." Dysley was full of crap! Cocoon had no idea what was going on down here, foolishly believing they were being sent to another world to live the rest of their lives away from the only homes and families they knew. Everything seemed to grow brighter with the presence of the Vestige, glowing a bright green. "Should you attempt to flee, the Sanctum will employ every resource necessary to bring you to justice."

These people would never see a trial, and she seethed with rage. The Sanctum was not what these people thought of it as. On the surface, it portrayed having the will of the people at heart. However, just because these people had lived next to the Pulse Vestige, they were now classified as a taint on society that needed to be removed. Lightning had had enough. The Sanctum no longer had anything to keep her in line anymore, and she was about to challenge it. They were going to regret the day they gave her a choice to become a Soldier. The same gun ships that had taken out the Trussway, were now surrounding the Vestige, to ensure nothing happened to slow its progression. "This land is no longer your home. Cease hostilities and surrender at once."

_Never!_ she vowed, blue eyes glaring at the Vestige.

* * *

><p>Barely clinging to life, and hearing the announcement, Snow stirred. Every part of his body screamed in agony, and he knew that without a potion, he'd bleed out. Turning over, he crawled towards a body, and finding nothing on the first one, he crawled to one right after the other until he managed to find a medical bag that wasn't crushed or filled with broken vials.<p>

His vision swam in and out of focus, and with all his will power, he forced himself to drink one of the vials and then another. Five healing potions later, he found himself able to stand again, but he was still weak from the fall. Glancing up, he had no idea how he had managed to survive, but that didn't stop him. Instead it fueled him to keep going. The Vestige reminded him of the person trapped inside of it, of the reason all of this had started in the first place. Snow's thoughts mirrored Lightning's exactly, and he swore revenge, but not before he found and rescued a certain sister from its bowls.

Walking after it, he kept an eye out for any familiar faces or bodies, hoping against hope he wasn't the last survivor of Bodhum.

* * *

><p>Sazh and Lightning also felt a similar relief, each for their own reason. "Just what you were looking for," Sazh stated. His arms were crossed, and he had to soon make a decision. Did he go with her, or go his own way once she went towards it?<p>

"Yea," she agreed, a smile of triumph on her face. He had to admit she was beautiful at the moment, unaware that he was studying her, but hell if he told her that. She knew about as many ways to kill a man as he knew how to count bolts on a piece of machinery when he put it back together again. "Right in there."

"The Pulse fal'Cie. Huh."

* * *

><p>Everyone the Vestige passed, created the same type of fear and awe. Yes, it was a magnificent site, but at the same time, it was also the reason so many of them had suffered horrible losses that day. The survivors were discarding the Sanctum robes, and one boy watched and blamed the thing that had caused his mother to join Snow's call for Volunteers.<p>

No longer having a reason to keep the robe on, Hope discarded it and stood, keeping track of the passing Vestige. Most of the survivors were no longer fighting, tending to the wounded, and waiting for what ever was going to happen. Without Gadot or Snow, the NORA fighters left, stayed back to keep careful guard in the event PSICOM tried to take them out.

One careful blow, and they'd meet the same fate as the resistance fighters, and that thought kept all of them somber. With both train survivors united and moved to a temporary, safe location, Hope glanced at a mother and her child. "Mom..."

"Don't worry," the mother spoke, her hands on the small child's shoulders. "We'll be okay," she lied. He no longer had that false reassurance, and he wanted it back desperately.

Hope didn't say anything, but he mentally called out: _Mom..._ He missed her terribly, and he wished she'd stroll up through the dark chasms and hug him, to tell him it had all been a horrible nightmare. He'd do anything at this point to wake up, to beg her to take them to see his father like she had wanted. He had been so selfish, and she had only stopped in Bodhum because he hadn't wanted to forgive him. Another robe landed beside him, breaking him from his thoughts. _  
><em>

It was the girl that had slapped him across the face, with fiery red hair and green colored eyes. Smiling, she bent over and took up the weapon given to her from earlier, trying to give it to him. "Here," she spoke, watching him take it with surprise. In all honesty, she had no idea how to fire it, not familiar with Cocoon weapons. He stared at it, uncertain of what to do, and that's when her arms wrapped around him, like his mother should have done. Vanille truly hated war and the effect it had on normal, happy, people. She couldn't have been more than 16, but she acted and seemed so much older. "It's too much, isn't it?" Pulling back, she gave him a soft smile of encouragement, unable to give him any more comfort than that. She understood losing people you loved, and kind words wouldn't change that feeling for a long time. "Face it later."

She waved, "Ciao!" Turning around, she took off, to where he had no idea.

Still in shock, he went after her, having no one else to follow. "Hey! Wait!" he called after her.


	11. Reflections - Part Six

**Reflections - (Present)**

* * *

><p><strong>Part Six<strong>

Serah loved the feel of the wind on her face, happy that she was alive, and with a man that had taught her what it meant to live rather than just sit back and let life pass her by. No, she hadn't wanted to die the way that she had, but if she had the same choices to make, she wouldn't have hesitated either. They both knew that, and therefore, had very few regrets. "Do you think we're pushing her to hard?" Serah asked, her arms wrapped around his waist. To be honest, she had seen the same shadows in Noel's expression at times that she saw in Lightning's and Snow's, but he didn't talk much about the days after her death. He seemed content on living in the present, refusing to take anything for granted, especially when it came to the people he loved the most.

"You said Light hasn't had the chance to experience much of anything since she was sixteen, right?"

"No, not really. Ever since our parents died, she's been a closed book, refusing to cry, laugh, smile... It's like that part of her died, and as hard as NORA tried to figure out why, we always came to a dead end. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps it prepared her for what was to come, but now that we're finally safe, with the chance for happiness, it's like she's re-learning how to feel anything other than hate or anger."

"We'll just have to trust that Snow can bring it out in her; there's something there, or he wouldn't have been one of the first on her list to save. He just didn't make it easy on her, and just when she was almost out of time, she brought him back. Snow and Light don't talk about it at all, but Hope said that Snow had turned. After saving him, Hope and Snow both went after her, refusing to allow Bhunivelze to have her."

"I just want to see her happy..."

"Are you certain you're okay with them being together?" As deeply as he loved her, Noel would never force Serah to choose a life that she didn't want.

"Oh yeah," she giggled. "I never told you how grateful I was..."

"About what?"

"For coming to get me... It was suffocating in New Bodhum... Everyone was so afraid I'd shatter like glass, and before you... well I never believed in fighting much. You showed me that when it's important, when there are people you want to protect, you do what needs to be done."

"So what's the story with Sazh and your sister?" Noel asked, just as curious as everyone else. From the bits he picked up here and there, Lightning had stubbornly avoided joining NORA for years, and at the first opportunity, she picked a random stranger to go after her sister. That couldn't have gone over very well with Snow; the thought made Noel almost double over in laughter. He still might...

"I'm not really sure; I do know Snow doesn't like bringing him up though. It's strange; Snow never seemed to mind that the two of us were together, but if you so much as hint that Light might have picked Sazh or anyone else for a boyfriend, he gets that look like he might strangle someone."

"Gadot says it's always been like that with them, even when they all thought he was pursuing a lost cause."

"But..."

"Serah... It's okay. Anything worth fighting for is never a lost cause. Lightning spent several thousand years in battle, unable to feel anything that you or I could. It would have destroyed her, made her weak, and for the task that she needed to carry out; well, let's just say that no other would have been able." Noel, as he paused at a red light, sighed. "Honestly, I don't think anyone other than Snow can help her. He, like Light, had to fight an endless battle of his own. If not for Snow, the Chaos would have destroyed our world long before Light's return. We have a lot to thank them for, and together, they'll save each other. We just need to make sure that we're there to help them along the way, like they were for us."

* * *

><p>Light tried every trick in the book to keep ahead of him. She wasn't even sure why she was trying so hard to out run him, only that she had never been one to simply throw a fight or in this case, a challenge. What had started out as a simple game, had turned into something else entirely, and Snow wasn't relenting. This time however, there was no danger of Serah turning into a Cie'th, they weren't running from PSICOM, and he wasn't about to lose his soul. She briefly touched his mind and almost tripped over her own two feet, startled at the haze of fire driving him to catch her. It had nothing to do with a game, but something that she had inadvertently started back at the mall.<p>

Why would eating an ice cream cone make him go crazy like this? Rather than find out, she simply went faster, earning a very audible curse behind her. When had he gotten so close? Spotting a lake ahead, an idea came to mind, and she had to hide her thoughts... knowing he'd try to cut her off if he figured it out. Light had incredible reflexes and dexterity, and with what remained of her strength, she reached for a low hanging tree branch, and used her momentum to swing upwards and into the tree, laughing out loud when Snow couldn't stop himself in time before launching over the edge and into the lake. Resurfacing, he glared upwards, Lightning smiling in triumph. "Looks like I win again," she taunted, and in a flash she was gone.

"Damn it, Light!"

Running had never been an issue for her, and she preferred it over getting back on a motorcycle. Knowing it'd take him a while to pull himself from the water, return to the mall and get his bike, she had more than enough time to make it home and find herself making a light, turkey sandwich. Old habits die hard, but she wasn't one to cook for only herself. "You're alone, again..." a quiet voice spoke.

Light actually liked the former time-gazing girl, her story tragic. It didn't surprise her that Noel felt overly protective of her, but only like a brother towards a sister, nothing more. If there had been something more, Lightning would have never allowed Serah's and Noel's relationship to progress as far as it had. "Not for long," she sighed, making another sandwich for the girl. Yeul rarely complained about the food given to her, always grateful to have anything at all. Noel and Yeul came from a time where food and water were extremely difficult to find.

"You're afraid that all of this isn't real..." Yeul might not have all her powers, but she still retained a good portion of her memories.

"Not so much that as I am about it being taken away... again..."

"We find strength in the ones we love, and each other."

"I'm not even sure I know what that's like; to love someone..."

"You love even when you're not even aware that you are," Yeul gently explained. "You fought for Serah even after she turned to crystal. You trusted her to change a future that had no future. You fought for a chance at her soul's re-birth, and you strive for her happiness even when you're not sure if her choice is the right one. You love her enough to allow her a chance with a boy that never dreamed of a future for himself."

"I've never really had anything other than Serah to lose before, but just the thought of seeing him sad or hurt terrifies me. I was so close to losing him..." Lightning had promised herself to never let him suffer like that again, and she'd die trying to ensure she kept it. If she was his choice, then could she deny him? Was he her choice as well? She didn't know, not understanding the confusion of her emotions or what they meant, not after so long of feeling anything other than empty, loneliness. What none of them knew; after she had found herself in Valhalla, all her emotions had been stripped from her, to include those of anger or remorse. She briefly recalled what emotions would have felt like, and the morality behind every decision she made... however, that's all they had been... memories.


	12. The Fal'Cie Awaits

The Fal'Cie Awaits

* * *

><p>For so long, Lightning felt like she had been fighting for her life. However, it wasn't just herself that she fought for, but Serah as well. Unable to do anything other than watch the senseless loss of life, she felt herself overwhelmed with guilt. What if the Sanctum hadn't authorized the Purge because of the Vestige or Serah? They had always been after Lightning, testing and studying her, as if searching for something that existed inside of her. Something about her parents had triggered the wrath of the Sanctum, and after they had killed them, they had turned all their attention towards her.<p>

The Sanctum never fully explained why they had executed her parents in cold blood, or why they felt so strongly that she was a menace to Cocoon Society. Other than the odd coloring of her hair or the green flecks in her other wise blue eyes, she seemed and felt normal. The Sanctum wasn't satisfied, and for several weeks after killing her parents, they had performed test after test, some so painful she had almost begged for them to end her life and get it over with.

_Snow. If I had allowed myself to believe, could you have really protected me from them?_ The only problem in that thought was that she did believe, but she had chosen to protect him a long with Serah, keeping everyone as far from her as emotionally and physically possible. The Pulse Vestige was just a head of them, an end to one part of her journey, but the start of another. She wanted a chance to see her sister again, to apologize for the things she had said, and to beg for her forgiveness. There was so much she wanted to say, but time wasn't on her side anymore.

The sky bridge was closing in on the Vestige, but rather than stop it and have it available for PSICOM to use later, she decided to let it crash. Coming to the edge, she knelt and stared at the ground below. At over a thousand feet, this would be one of the largest jumps she would have ever done, and with her AMP charge almost depleted, most of the jump would have to be done without it. On top of that, she had to trust in Sazh to follow, and for the AMP to hold long enough for him to land.

The Pulse Vestige wasn't moving any longer, meaning they had a limited amount of time to get in, find Serah, and get out before they began the final assault. What she couldn't understand was how the Sanctum had never realized that what they were dealing with was from Pulse? Making quick calculations in her mind, hoping she wasn't off, she decided that the AMP needed to activate just before she landed.

"So, how do you figure that Pulse fal'Cie is different from the Sanctum's?" He had heard there were two different types, but he had never really tried to figure either one of them out. Lightning really didn't care either way. To her a fal'Cie was a fal'Cie, controlling the Sanctum, and it was the Sanctum that had inflicted so much pain on her. She had endured it for years, and nothing would ever change her mind about how she'd feel about either a Pulse or Sanctum fal'Cie.

Despite the heavy losses the resistance had suffered, she still held a small flicker of hope that some of them had survived. Snow was too stubborn to die, and his hatred ran deep enough, which that alone would keep him alive through just about anything. With the appearance of the Pulse Vestige, the fighting had come to a complete halt, giving both sides a chance to recover from their losses, and Snow the chance to make his way towards it. He wouldn't have a lot of time. "All things being equal, I'd just as soon keep wondering."

Was he still babbling about the fal'Cie? He was right, best to leave either one alone. In her eyes, they were all evil, and given the chance, she'd find a way to destroy every damn one of them. The baby Chocobo chose that moment to jump from his hair and into his palms, and Lightning felt a momentary flicker of pity. What did Sazh have to live for that made him want to follow an angry, and former Soldier into the heart of PSICOM? Briefly he smiled, but it was a sad one, and she had to break what ever thought he had going, when she stepped back, looked at him, and gave their marching orders. "Time to jump."

Startled, he watched her start rushing forward with no intent on stopping. "Hey, hang on!" She was crazy! Either that or she had no regard for her own life as she took risk after risk. Did she have to do it with him tagging along? However, she had never asked him to join her in the first place, and every second he remained in her company, was a willing decision on his part.

With a running leap, she surged over the edge, her arms going wide behind her and she felt a sense of freedom as she watched the ground quickly rush up towards her. Looking over the edge, he stared as she free fell. "What the-? Hey!" She wasn't slowing down, and for a moment, Lighting had truly considered ending it right then and there. However, it was Serah that kept her together, and with a snap of her fingers, she activated the AMP field beneath her, the device cushioning her fall.

Sazh couldn't help himself. The woman never ceased to amaze him, performing a perfect flip before landing solidly on her feet. "Damn," he gasped in awe. A jump like that would have killed either of them, and yet she didn't seem the least bit phased as she stood and walked like normal. Putting the bird back in his hair, he took a deep breath and prepared himself. "If she can do it, so can we!"

His foot searched for some kind of ledge to stand on, but instead, he slipped, and with his heart in his throat, Sazh screamed all the way to the bottom. _I'm going to die! I'm going to die!_ And suddenly he came to a halt, floating and staring up at the sky bridge. A noise exploded from Lightning, but when he glanced at her, her expression revealed nothing. Had she been laughing at him?

It would be moments like this one that would make her almost forget what the Sanctum had done to her, and later down the road, she would find herself grateful that he had chosen to follow rather than remain behind with the other survivors. If he had, there would have been a good chance, they would have never crossed paths again.

Perhaps him being with her, gave him a little longer to live, but she couldn't guarantee anything past that, not with the Sanctum trying to keep them from escaping, and the Pulse just in front of them. The jump required a lot of guts, and her level of respect for him grew at that point. She almost admitted that she liked him, but she couldn't afford to let it grow past that.

* * *

><p>Snow couldn't recall a time that they hadn't been together, having each others back, and being extremely gentle, he rested his friend's head against his arm. With his free hand, he dragged over another medical bag he had found and pulled out two potions, one half empty, and the other full. It wasn't much, but Snow couldn't afford to fail another friend.<p>

He himself had been badly injured, and it was a miracle that he had even survived. However, staring at Gadot's broken body, he almost shattered. With a shaking hand, he touched the vial to Gadot's lips, watching a drop slide down his chin. Even a drop was more than he could afford to lose, and having no other choice, he forced Gadot's mouth open and dumped the rest of the potion in. The second potion wasn't as difficult, Gadot starting to respond and drink on his own.

Gadot's breathing began to return to normal, and with a couple of slaps, Snow kept calling to him. "Come on. Come on!" At last, his eyes opened, staring up at Snow with a mixture of confusion and fear. It was the latter that concerned Snow, but Gadot forced himself to sit up, and glanced around. Other than Snow, not a single person moved, their bodies lying on debris or the ground in a broken heap. _They killed their own? Why?_ Gadot thought.

It was like PSICOM hadn't cared if their own had been in the middle of the blast, so long as the Sanctum succeeded at taking the resistance out. Was Lebreau among the dead? He couldn't find her, and fear pounding in his chest, his gaze flew back to Snow. They never let anything get to them, but this was too much, and the horror he felt reflected back at him through Snow's blue eyes. Was all of this worth eliminating a threat from Cocoon? Both sides had sustained heavy losses, but until every last resident had been found and executed, the Sanctum would only continue. "What about the others?" he asked. When he didn't respond, Gadot's heart sank. The civilians he barely knew were one thing, but the team, his girlfriend... Refusing to think the worse, more to keep himself sane: "They didn't die! They couldn't have died!"

Snow felt Gadot's anguish and concern, but he didn't feel as mentally strong as Gadot did at the moment. After watching that woman die, he had taken a serious blow to his self-confidence as a leader, and as a man. How could he have allowed her to fight when he had known she had a kid? On top of that, she had taken the blow that should have killed him.

"Of course not," Snow told him, but Gadot heard no conviction in the commander's voice. Gadot wanted to help Snow, seeing the anguish in his friend's eyes. This was bound to happen, but there was little any of them could have done about it. Knowing his fearless leader, Snow would take everything that had happened and blame himself. It was a tactical advantage for PSICOM to take them out, one he would have taken himself if given the chance. Now was not the time to wallow in despair or what ifs.

Standing to his feet, Gadot forced his shoulder to pop back into place. There were still some sore points, but the potions had done enough. First things first, he needed to snap Snow out of his apparent melt-down. Thankfully, it was just the two of them, and Snow had a resilient fortitude, but both still had a long way to go before they could say it was safe enough to relax and cry. "Hey, get a grip, man! What's wrong with you?"

Snow started pacing back and forth, a complete contrast to the man that all of NORA was familiar with. He kept muttering under his breath, something about getting someone home. If this was what was going to happen if Lebreau died, he had no intentions of ever letting her fight again, watching Snow fall apart over a woman he had never met before. "Get him home..." he heard Snow mumble. "Get _who_ home?" The platform shook, and he turned, coming out of his thoughts and realizing Gadot was yelling at him. Staring off towards the Pulse Vestige, he watched a sky bridge collide against it and fall, catching on fire. He didn't see anyone on it, but why would PSICOM crash against it?

The answer was perfectly clear, remembering that Lightning had been on Gadot's and Lebreau's train. Had she made it to the Pulse Vestige? "She's crazy..." he heard Gadot mutter. Snow had to agree, but knowing Lightning, she'd never give up, not with her sister's life on the line. Now wasn't the time.

Spotting a gun, Gadot hollered at Snow, "Toss me that." Snow didn't hesitate to pick it up or throw it at Gadot, but the sound of a trigger pulling back and setting had him spinning around, a barrel pointed straight at him.

Gadot's expression held no emotion, his aim steady. "What are you doing?" Snow shouted, telling Gadot everything he needed to know.

Snow wasn't okay, having taken the death of the Bodhum citizens extremely hard. For awhile, he'd do what was necessary, but eventually all of this was going to hit him like a freight train and Gadot wasn't so sure he'd manage to pick up the pieces or not. "So what are you afraid of, huh?" Gadot demanded, his expression stern, lacking kindness or sympathy. That was the last thing Snow needed right now; especially if they were going to get back to the train survivors. Without them, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Snow understood Gadot's reasoning, but it did nothing to lessen his guilt. "You're supposed to be the hero." With a strained smile, attempting to lighten the mood and the situation, he replaced the safety and placed his weapon on his shoulder. Compared to what he normally carried, it looked like a toy gun. Wanting to remind him of something other than just the citizens, he jerked his head towards the Vestige. "That thing has one of our own; does it not? Are you going to allow that sister of hers to rescue Serah on her own, or will you go after her?"

Perhaps reminding Snow of Lightning would be enough to motivate him into action, and a flicker of concern flashed in his eyes as he once again stared back at the Vestige. "Snow, you're a complete idiot. Did you honestly think proposing to Serah was going to work?" It had been meant as a joke, but at the same time, they all knew that Snow's feelings ran too deep for the older sister.

"It had nothing to do with Serah..."

Gadot never understood his friend's logic at times, but this was Snow, and he loved him like a brother. Over the years, as the two kept each other alive, he realized that the one to make him feel alive, was Lightning, a woman so determined to keep him at arms length. The harder she tried, the more determined he became.

"Isn't it about time you went after them?" Gadot wasn't going to reveal Snow's plans to anyone, but he'd back him up when the time came. However, if he tried to walk down the isle with Serah despite all of this, he'd say his objections then, and damn if he wouldn't drag Lightning kicking and screaming and toss her on the floor at Snow's feet.

Talking about Lightning had the desired effect, Snow smiling for the first time. He had a point to prove, and staying here wasn't going to accomplish that. "Yeah." There had to be something to break through Lightning's emotional barriers, but what? According to Serah, Lightning never allowed anyone close to her emotionally or physically, and at times that included Serah. Had Lightning forgotten how to feel, so use to burying anything other than hate or anger?

He had once asked Serah what had happened to their parents, but she didn't know and Lightning refused to talk about it. Each time she had brought it up to Lightning, she had recoiled and gone running back to the Corps, as if the very demons of hell were hot on her heels. What the hell had happened and why wouldn't she let anyone in to help? Or did she feel that no one could and she had no choice but to face this burden alone?

Snow had yet to see a Guardian Corps Soldier, and he breathed a little easier knowing that they hadn't taken a part in this slaughter. Still, he had wished Lightning hadn't lashed out. Three hover bikes sped by overhead, and with that, the two took off. If they can get a couple of hover bikes, they had a way to get back to the fight.

The hover bikes were heading towards the Pulse Vestige to set up a parameter, making it easy to catch up and hide behind all the fallen debris. Snow smirked, once again gaining his arrogant confidence. As long as they had a purpose, Snow always seemed willing to fight, now was no different. "There's our ride."

Gadot chuckled in response, glad to have his friend almost back to normal. Pushing away from his hiding location; "Now you're talking!" Snow was more of a hand-to-hand combat type of guy. Spotting something on the ground, he picked up a power circlet, debating on using it or not. Currently he used something else, covered up with his gloves. Ahead of them were a couple of Pantherons and three Aerial Recon troops, all difficult to kill with only two of them in beat up conditions. He only hoped they avoided receiving two much damage, and rummaging over a couple of bodies, he managed to conjure up a few more potions.

There were very few patrols on the ground surface, and with minimal effort, they finally came to the unsuspecting hover craft owners, completely intent on stealing and using them. Besides, it was more than likely they didn't care about a good bike, and Snow was all about treating a bike with dignity and respect. Behind a metal crate, he peaked his head around and counted five of them, not exactly fair odds. Still, it wasn't nothing either of them couldn't handle. With each Soldier they took out, they managed to resupply the potions, and they were now back at full health. PSICOM must feel that the resistance was relatively neutralized, and therefore didn't apply a lot of personnel to guarding the Vestige.

The leader of the group started giving commands, occasionally looking around. "I want every weapon ready to fire. Stay sharp."

What were they planning on shooting? There wasn't any civilians down here, unless they were talking about the Vestige. Pulling back, he whispered to Gadot. "Alright, on my count."

"Right." This was routine training, something they had all practiced outside of Bodhum. Raising three fingers and counting down, Gadot waited for the last one to drop before jumping out, his gun blazing. He never missed his targets, and just like that, two of the Soldiers died instantly. The other three recovered quickly, moving in to battle formation.

They were all aware the NORA commander had delivered a painful blow to their numbers, but everyone thought he had died along with a good majority of the resistance. Snow and Gadot focused on the enforcers first, leaving the Warden for last. Having only three to deal with, the fight was over in a matter of seconds, and Gadot rushed up to the bikes like an eager little school boy. He had always wanted to ride on one as a child, but the Sanctum never allowed orphans to touch them.

Charging the bikes up, they glowed a beautiful blue from the rotary fans, but they seemed to whine a little from not taking care of them properly. "That's a sad sound," Gadot complained. "Where's the soul?" As Gadot made his adjustments, Snow climbed aboard his bike and released a heavy side. When he was fighting, he didn't have time to reflect on that woman, but now, as he waited, he could only think of her last request.

Leaning his head to the side, he stared at the Pulse Vestige, but there was a part of him that felt a tremendous pull towards finding that kid as well. What did he do, and which choice was right? Trying to make up his mind about what to do and how; "Hey, Gadot..."

"Yeah?" That look was back on Snow's face, and Gadot cringed. What ever was eating at the boss, he wasn't sure if sending him after Lighting or Serah was a good idea.

"If you don't know who you've got to save, you just protect them all right?" That was stupid and impossible, but telling him that wasn't going to work, so he chose to simply nod his head as they took off. Whatever he needed to do, Snow needed his head in the game, not in depression mode. Leaders lost people all the time, they had to bounce back or they weren't worth following in the first place. Snow was at least trying, despite his young age of 25.

"Something on your mind?" He needed to figure out what Snow's mind was on; it definitely wasn't either of the Farron girls. "You've got plenty of time for thinking on the way... Hero."

Snow didn't feel like a hero right now, but Gadot was right. He had to stay focused, there were still survivors that needed them. Placing his hands on the driving console, he nodded, pushing aside his grief and guilt. He'd have to analyze it later, at a more appropriate time. "Yeah."

At last, getting the bike to operate the way he needed it to, Gadot brought it around and brought it even. It was just like the race track, despite being on the battle field. "Ready..." It was moments like this one, that made life worth living, even through great loss and failure. Hunching forward, waiting for the signal, he pushed the throttle forward as Gadot shouted, "Go!"

Snow had always been the better biker, and he showed off those skills as they raced forward, Snow in the lead, and Gadot not far behind. With the hover bikes, it was easy to return to the survivors, but they weren't at Gadot's train, but Snow's. Somehow they had managed to get there, all of the children seemingly okay. In charge of them wasn't Lebreau or Maqui, but Yuj who seemed to be pointing and giving out orders. The site gave Snow hope, and even Gadot looked a tad impressed.


	13. Reflections - Part Seven

**Reflections - (Present)**

* * *

><p><strong>Part Seven<strong>

Cold and wet, Snow had been making his way back towards his bike when Gadot had doubled back, having a hunch that Lightning would have considered this entire scenario exactly as she thought of it as; simply eating an ice cream cone. Lebreau's and Serah's ideas of seduction didn't work on women like Lightning, not without being taught how. The woman had absolutely no concept of subtle, and Snow never one to take advantage of someone, would have them at an indefinite stand-still. Lightning wouldn't know how to make the first move, and Snow refused to push her past what he thought she wasn't ready for.

Not wanting to hear his friend's taunts, Snow kept walking. However, Gadot refused to leave, keeping a slow pace beside a very agitated NORA Commander. If she had been anyone else, Gadot would have thought the woman wasn't interested. However, with Lightning, Snow needed the direct approach; no more games and no more waiting for her to figure it out. It didn't work like that with her. "Get on," Gadot snapped, startling Snow from his sulking. "You'd think being a Patron over a city and all; you'd know the difference between hard-to-get and clueless."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on boss, this is Light we're talking about. Last time we all checked, she spent life times on her own, at the end of world, and more time trapped inside of a crystal; she'd take everything at face value. She wouldn't know seduction unless you opened it up in one of her military text books. Stop hoping she'll figure it out; not with the kill or be killed attitude she's always had. You act like she's your first or something."

"No; but I would think that after the few times we had been together, she'd have figured out..." That threw Gadot for a loop; so Soldier girl had been with the boss; and she was still willing to let Snow near her? Sometimes he wondered how Snow had become Commander of an entire military organization...

"Was their seduction involved, or just sex?" It was a blunt question, but Snow needed to understand the huge differences between the two. Soldiers didn't have a lot of time for a personal life; if they had needs, they took care of them and moved on. With Snow and Light, considering all that they had been tasked with, it hadn't been any different. "You're truly an idiot, Boss. If Light didn't care; there's no way in hell she'd have ever allowed more than once."

Snow came to a halt, water dripping from his long bangs. Was it really that simple? Snow had kept hoping she'd want a little more than a quick fling, but if Gadot was right, she wouldn't know what she was missing or craving without being introduced to the many forms of love making. It would explain a lot of her confusion and why she had no idea what he wanted or needed from her.

* * *

><p>"Do you have a plan B?" Serah asked, looking at Lebreau. They had hoped the ice cream incident might have been enough to push Light in the right direction, but her sister was apparently as clueless as ever, content with working out in her weight room.<p>

"Give her a set of battle plans, and she'd pick them apart with little trouble." Lebreau was starting to find herself getting discouraged, but listening to Yeul talk to Light, gave her some hope.

"We just have to get Snow to make the first move," she finally stated.

"How do we do that?"

"We didn't buy those clothes for decoration you know," Lebreau stated, hands on her hips. "If we have to lock them in her room and throw away the key; that's what we're going to do."

"Seems like Light's being as difficult as ever," Fang interrupted, startling the two women. "Essentially, Snow hasn't figured her out yet."

"It's not that he hasn't figured it out," Serah sighed; "He's just way too polite to do anything about it."

"As if Light ever needed polite." Fang was starting to think Light wasn't the only one that didn't have a clue. "Vanille, do us a favor, go keep Light and Yeul company for a while and see if there's not anything in that kitchen to make some kind of cake."

"Right." Shutting the door; Fang dragged the two women to the furthers part of the room, all of them dropping their voices to a whisper.


	14. Into The Vestige

Into The Vestige

* * *

><p>The last thing Yuj expected at this point, were a couple of hover bikes, not after the heavy losses they had sustained. With the appearance of the Pulse Vestige, everything had taken a momentary pause, giving him a chance to gather up the last of the survivors, provide medical attention, and come up with an idea of how to get them out before the Sanctum remembered they were still around. Lebreau still cried, but it was silent now, and any help from her department wasn't going to happen. Maqui didn't have a clue, still fussing that all of this wasn't fair, which left him in charge.<p>

Setting another broken leg, he had to rely on Maqui covering him long enough to wrap it with a bandage, and grabbing his own rifle and joining him. It was his expression that had him pause, one of pure disbelief. "Hey!" Gadot shouted from above, waiving frantically for them not to open fire. And it wasn't just Gadot, but Snow as well. Yuj, from what Maqui had stated, thought the two of them had fallen with everyone else.

"Hey!" Snow shouted, his voice reaching past their fear filled minds, to include Lebreau who glanced up, blinking through the tears. At first she didn't move, her breath caught in her throat. "It's us, it's us!" he reassured them. With relief, they gradually lowered their weapons, not seeing any other PSICOM vehicles or Soldiers behind them.

Taking a quick count of everything, Snow found himself impressed to find both trains grouped together. At first he thought it might have been Lebreau, but one glance at her pale and tear stained cheeks told him differently. Maqui couldn't have done it, and his eyes locked with Yuj. The young teenager, on the verge of becoming an adult, had done more than he'd ever expect of someone so young. There was a strain at the corners of his eyes, but he still somehow managed a smile.

On Lebreau's arm was a bandage, and he wondered why she hadn't taken a potion for herself. There were injured survivors scattered across the platform, and Yuj had been in the process of healing everyone back to as close to full health when Snow and Gadot made their impossible appearances. At least Gadot wasn't spouting off for him to get it together any longer.

One look into his girlfriend's eyes, had him glancing away, his tanned features pale. Them falling, had probably given her quite the scare, and both of them realized, that she might not have recovered from the loss. As tough as she was, her strength came from having them around. Losing one would have been hard enough, but both was far too much for her mind to process or cope with.

Her eyes were blood shot, and she tried to hide the fact that she'd been crying from him. Gadot wanted to go to her, but now was not the time for him to baby her. They still had PSICOM to worry over, and the longer they stayed on the platform, the more time they had to regroup their forces and begin a second and final assault. There wasn't enough people left to put up a descent defense, and resources were probably limited at this point. First chance he had though, he'd distract her with something far more physical. Today taught him a few things; that NORA wasn't invincible, and to never take for granted that the special people in your life would be around forever.

"Don't shoot," Snow teased them, attempting to lighten the mood. Gadot was the first to leave his hover bike, and he glanced at Snow and nodded. If he was to go after Lighting or Serah, now was the time. Maqui, still as childish as ever, waved frantically, and rushed forward. Yuj was far more reserved, and already both leaders saw a difference in his posture and expression. He wasn't the same happy, carefree, Yuj they were all so familiar with.

"Snow!" Maqui cried out.

Walking with a slight limp of his own, Yuj followed. Gadot had no idea how the blue haired kid had managed to do it, but he had pulled through, saved his girlfriend, and re-united both trains. The kid had all his respect at that point, and if anyone deserved a leadership role, it was Yuj. Having a feeling he might not see Snow again, Gadot would have to make someone his second in command, and one look at his girlfriend told him that he had no choice but to elect the boy.

The civilians, despite everything were calm, the children playing a little and Yuj had just started thinking of an escape plan when Gadot and Snow showed up. Battle tactics were supposed to be Lebreau's responsibility, and he felt tremendously relieved to see the two commanders. Gadot's eyes flickered towards him, and he gave a brief thumb's up before turning back to whisper something to Snow.

He wasn't leaving the bike, and Yuj had a strong feeling he wasn't going to stick around either. With the appearance of the Vestige, Snow's mind had probably drifted to the NORA operative the fal'Cie had marked and taken from them. As much as he wanted to volunteer to go with him, these people needed him more.

Lebreau, to Gadot's surprise, gave him a brief hug before withdrawing. It was unlike her to show open displays of affection, but under the circumstances, he understood why she had done it. Very gently, he brushed away the tears from her face, Lebreau giving him a weak smile in return. "Hey... did you really think I'd kick the bucket so easily?" In truth, he almost had, and if it hadn't been for Snow, he wouldn't have ever seen her beautiful face ever again.

Gadot had no idea how she hadn't managed to fall with the rest of them, and he was grateful she had kept enough of her sanity not to jump after them. Not wanting to see himself fall apart like Snow or Lebreau, he decided at this point to keep her fighting with the civilians, her opinion and pride be damned. If he had been the one to find her broken, lifeless body, it was quite possible he would have lost his mind, and now he understood why Snow hadn't recovered from losing some poor bastard's mother.

Between Lebreau and the other woman, Gadot now understood why men didn't want their women in combat. It had nothing to do with how strong they were or weren't. It had everything to do with that they were someone to come back to, a motivation to never give up. If she had died, that motivation would have been taken from him, and he simply would have sat, waiting for the end without ever lifting a finger to fight back.

Gadot spared a brief glance towards the vestige. Lightning, after today, had also earned his respect. She was fighting, on her own, but the only difference between her and NORA, was that she had no one to come home to. She fought solely for Serah, and if she died, she wouldn't care so long as she managed to get in one last good-bye to her sister. He wanted to selfishly demand Snow stay with them, but in all honesty, part of NORA's existence was to rescue and protect people like Lightning. Gadot had never really cared for her story, and he wished he had. The way she had fought PSICOM on the train was not an act of desperation, but of blinding hatred and a purpose to destroy all of them in her path. She wasn't asking for help, probably didn't even know how.

Snow noted the flash of concern in Gadot's eyes, his gaze drifting towards the Vestige. He was going to go after Serah and Lightning in a minute, already having a plan in mind to keep the kids from getting hurt. He wasn't about to leave this place with the two Farron girls still inside, determined to save at least one of them, and if possible try to free Serah of the fal'Cie. Worse case scenario, if anyone was going to put the girl out of her misery, it would be one of NORA or Lightning, not PSICOM, but he had to believe they'd find a way to complete her Focus.

All the children looked accounted for, the ones from his wreckage, and the ones from Gadot's. The NORA commanders eagerly greeted Maqui and Yuj, letting them rush up to him and fire away a lot of questions. Gadot leaned against Snow's bike, his expression concerned and curious. Snow didn't dislike the children, but he often lost patience with them, leaving their training to Gadot, and manners to Lebreau. "Since when do you care about kids?"

Snow sometimes considered having one of his own, but after being orphaned and the way the Sanctum took care of them, he had always refrained and carefully made sure to never get a woman pregnant. Not to mention, he hadn't found the woman he wanted to have his child; well that had always been true until Lightning. "Favor for a friend," he dodged, not really having a way to explain. Gadot started to get the idea that Snow wanted to find the mother's kid; but he didn't know why and for what purpose.

"Okay..."

"Hey, Snow! You made it!" Maqui shouted. Gadot supposed Snow was like the father of the group, someone everyone looked up to as a role model. After their return, it was like a gang get together.

Yuj waved at Gadot. "Hey..."

Leaning over, he spoke quietly, Yuj nodding with a serious expression. "Get them ready to move. Once Snow leaves, we won't have a lot of time." If the boy wanted to protest, he kept it bottled inside and nodded.

"Whew!" Maqui gasped.

"Hey," Lebreau spoke quietly.

Looking at Maqui and his weapon, Snow asked him, "so you really manage to use that thing?" Maqui gave him a sheepish look. If it hadn't been for Yuj showing up with reinforcements, PSICOM would have more than likely finished them off. Maintaining a steady, suppression fire, Lebreau had been pulled to safety along with any other survivors and given medical treatment.

"Nah, I think I'm done." Snow had been right, his gaze falling on the blue haired teen. Yuj, by leaving him back, had saved the day and he felt a lot of pride in the kid. He'd make a great commander and there was still much fighting to be done. If he knew Gadot like he did, his second and command was already considering on using him after he left. Yuj, Snow hoped now understood the importance of sometimes leaving someone behind, preferably someone reliable.

Yuj, still not wanting to give up his command authority yet, hit Maqui in the temple; "You're done when we are." Gadot did laugh this time. Yuj was definitely the right choice for the second-in-command slot, and Maqui rubbed the back of his head.

"Ow!"

* * *

><p>None of the NORA operatives noticed the boy glaring at Snow, seething with rage. He hadn't really blamed Snow before, but seeing him alive and not his mother cut deeply. It was his fault that all of this had happened, the reason his mother had died protecting him instead of her own son. "That's the one," he muttered to the girl.<p>

The young girl from before came up beside him, hands clasped behind her back as she regarded him with patient curiosity. "Didn't you have something to tell him?" Unlike Hope, she knew Snow had nothing to do with the boy's mother choosing to fight. Snow had asked for volunteers, and that meant she had made a conscious decision, knowing she might not survive. Hope needed to realize this, but until he was ready to listen and rationalize, she saw no point in saying anything.

"Yeah."

"Alright then," she tried to encourage, but he was terrified and not moving. Snow didn't seem as arrogant as before, his laugh forced, and his eyes kept searching for something. Vanille already knew that if Hope talked to Snow, he'd figure out what she already knew and re-direct his anger towards the appropriate people.

"But... I..."

Leaning forward, hands on her knees, he glanced at her with desperation. "I'll go with you."

"What?" Hope stammered. He didn't even know this girl, but in his grief stricken mind, he had no way of knowing if her concern was genuine or calculating.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at the hover bikes; Maqui was gasping for air as he recounted the events after they had fallen. "You have no idea what it was like."<p>

Snow could only imagine. "Everyone safe?" he questioned them, proud they had managed to carry out without their two commanders. It was still shocking that it had been Yuj to take over and not Lebreau, but she still seemed battle shocked, and unable to say much after their return. Gadot's almost death must have really shaken her up.

Laughing and looking at each other, the two teens shouted in unison; "The army is no match for NORA!"

Lebreau slapped them hard across the head, but there was relief on her face as she silently inspected Gadot for injury, but he played it off as if nothing was wrong. "Grow up!" she hissed at them.

"I meant the kids," Snow asked, trying not to reveal his anxiety.

"All accounted for," Yuj confirmed.

"Okay. Let's keep it that way, all right?"

* * *

><p>Hope had no idea that Snow felt a lot of regret over his mother, or that he was searching for him and thinking of a way to keep him alive and find Serah at the same time. "Go on!" Shoving Hope forward, Vanille tried to get Hope to say something to Snow, but he was still holding back. Flabbergasted that he was so angry, but unwilling to do anything about it, she stormed forward, hands on her hips as she did it for him. "Hey..." Hope's mouth dropped open, taken by complete surprise at her boldness. Even if he was angry, Snow was a military commander, and he had a lot of muscle guarding his back. Now was not the time to have that talk.<p>

Snow, not hearing her, had chosen that moment to start up his hover bike, and lift off the ground. "I'll swing by the Vestige," he told them. "Keep the kids out of trouble," he teased Gadot. It was his way of saying good-bye, and everything depended on Gadot and Yuj to get them out of there.

"You got it!" he scoffed back, crossing his arms. "Say hi to the misses for me!" He tried to play as nothing were wrong, but ever since he had woken up, Snow hadn't been himself. Something had happened, and Snow wasn't recovering from it. "Huh! You go skirt-chasing! I take care of the kids. Some husband!"

"Dinner's on me."

"Better be home cooking!" Gadot demanded.

"When's the wedding, lover boy?" Yuj teased.

"Don't worry," he promised, pointing to each person in the group; "None of you are invited."

"We're still going!" Yuj promised.

"Hey!" Maqui complained. "You serious?" they complained.

"Hey, what about me?" Lebreau shouted, the bike already lifting off the ground. He wouldn't have done that to them, but they didn't need to know that, already disappearing after the Pulse Vestige. Besides, eventually he'd have to let them know there was never going to be one, at least not to Serah. It had all been a desperate effort to keep the Sanctum from going after her.

Filled with unrelenting hatred, Hope watched as he vanished, determined this wasn't going to be the last time they met. Snow needed to pay! He had to know what his actions had cost him!

"Catch you later!" And he was gone.

* * *

><p>Hope watched in anger, the NORA commander disappearing towards the Pulse Vestige. Any chance he might have told him what he felt seemed to slip away, and once again the people of Bodhum were left to fend for themselves. It was like Snow didn't take the time to consider his actions, or the people that got hurt or killed because they chose to follow and believe in him. Vanille wanted to tell him that Snow had not killed his mother, but Hope wasn't willing to listen.<p>

Vanille knew next to nothing of the Bodhum citizens, or the reasons they fought so hard against the 'Purge.' All she wanted was to find a way off Cocoon, and the train had been her ride. The others wouldn't have tried to leave, and Hope's anger was to her advantage. Staying on the Hanging edge was a certain death sentence, and it also meant the Cocoon citizens discovering what she was and turning on her. His features were pale, and he had yet to get over the death of his mother. Vanille had seen the same fight, and she knew the only ones to blame for the boy's mother dying was the Sanctum and not Snow. Eventually, she tried to reason with Hope, but she needed to get away from this place first.

Looking over the second hover car, a plan began to form in her mind. Not one to disappoint, Hope joined her, trying to find someone to connect with. "Hm, are you okay?" she asked him.

He seemed so young and confused. Once, a very long time ago, she had been like him. However, events beyond her control had forced her to grow up and she refused to die here. Eyes down cast, his blond hair hiding his facial expressions; he replied in a sad voice; "I want to tell him," he stammered, "It's just that-" He grabbed her left forearm, wanting to make her understand his frustration, but he didn't know the words or how to express them.

Choosing to change the subject slightly, a way to re-direct him towards what she needed and wanted, she pointed at the sky bike. "Say... You know how to fly this?" She didn't like using people, but she had no choice. The Purge was suppose to do take her to pulse; so why were these people making it so difficult? Sure, it was okay to fear the unknown, but Pulse wasn't as bad as they assumed.

Vanille glanced behind her, Gadot deep in conversation with Yuj. They wouldn't have long, and once Gadot realized what they were doing, he tried to stop them. Hope frowned, but in his grief, he simply assumed she was trying to help him. "Yeah, I think so."

Grasping at his hand, she jumped up and down, smiling from ear to ear. He had no idea how she remained so optimistic with so much violence and death, as if the past few hours had no effect on her. Was she simply in shock? Or was something wrong with her that made it impossible to understand fear or danger?

"All right! In you go!" It was quite apparent these people refused to go to Pulse, but what if the Sanctum still intended to send the Vestige? If that were the case, she definitely wasn't going to miss her chance, and Hope was her only way of getting there. Vanille wasn't as naive as Hope thought, but if she told him what she was, he'd turn on her like the Sanctum had turned on Bodhum.

Laughing and smiling, she whirled Hope around and pushed onto the sky bike. Unable to keep his balance, he had to quickly thrust his hands out to keep from hitting the steering console, Vanille climbing behind him. Her tiny arms wrapped around him, and despite his young age, he felt a tad uncomfortable with her closeness. He wasn't quite certain this was appropriate behavior, but they were in the middle of a war.

"That way," she said, her finger pointing at the Pulse Vestige. The Pulse Vestige was nothing like he had imagined, the object surrounded with blue strobe lights and glowing a soft green. Shaking his head no, his blue eyes wide with terror, he began to doubt himself and his emotions.

"If we go in there, that thing could- Vanille felt a twinge of guilt rise up, but she shoved it aside like she had been taught. His feelings weren't supposed to be her concern. He wasn't her friend... she had to remind herself of that, but it was hard when he seemed so much like she had been at his age, with a bright future, and suddenly have it taken away. "It could make us l'Cie." Vanille closed her eyes, thankful he couldn't see her face. She knew what the fal'Cie was capable of all too well, but she had no choice if she wanted to go home. "This is... I don't think I can-" Ready to get off, he lifted his hands away from the throttle, to have her hands cover his, almost as if they intertwined to give him the courage he didn't feel.

Her voice was a soft whisper of encouragement, trying to make him believe himself. "You can do it." This wasn't right, but she had to...

Hope wasn't sure, but before he had a chance to say anything else; a voice interrupted them, a pair of feet rushing towards them. "What are you two doing?" Gadot roared. Hope hated Snow, but he feared Gadot more. He was huge, like some kind of thug, and if Gadot caught them, they'd have no chance at finding Snow. It was now or never, and taking a deep breath, he turned the bike's throttle forward. "Here we go!"

The engine had no trouble lifting off the ground, and just as Gadot came beneath them, they were too high to reach. Glancing down, his heart in his throat, he simply prayed the bike kept working. Adults, according to his mother, were still to be respected, but he had to do this. Even if he had changed his mind, the bike suddenly launched forward.

"Uh oh..." Gadot gasped, ducking just in time, the bike spinning out of control. Hope had been lying when he told Vanille he knew how to fly, but he had wanted to prove he wasn't just a scared child. Screaming, Hope struggled to regain control of the bike, and just as he was about to crash, he brought it to a halt, hovering over Gadot several feet.

A hand on a cable wire, Gadot roared at the top of his lungs: "Get back here! Do you hear me?" Hope had no intentions of it, not until he confronted Snow. "Hey!" And they were gone, flying towards the Vestige. Gadot was so going to never hear the end of this, allowing a couple of kids to escape his watch.


	15. Reflections - Part Eight

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Eight<strong>

"Yeah... sure... Wouldn't miss it." Hope glanced up as he hung up the phone, running exhausted fingers through his platinum hair. One would think that after being manipulated by a God, almost being trapped in Chaos, he'd find himself cowering in a corner and out of the spotlight. Instead, here he was, neck-deep in trying to form a stable government that was run with a combination of the citizen population and the military. The only problem was finding someone to run a military that he trusted. He wanted nothing like the Sanctum or PSICOM; he preferred an entity that had the people's well-being in mind, and his thoughts drifted back to that day on the Hanging Edge, when all hell had unleashed around him. Only one group had stepped up to the plate, and as terrified and angry as he had been at the time; if not for NORA, not a single person would have made it as far as they had.

His mother, after being re-united with him here in the new world, had explained that her dying had not been Snow's fault, but a choice she had made. Nora truly believed that she would have died regardless, and rather risk everyone else going with her, she took a chance that Snow could save as many lives as he could; and that he had. While Lightning fought at the end of time, Snow had answered her call without complaint, trying to help her to the best of his ability. _The idiot._ Hope had to sigh in frustration.

Now that everyone was falling into a sense of normalcy, Hope could only wonder if Snow or Light was doing the same. He doubted it. As much as he wanted to believe that the world was safe, that they'd have several long centuries before facing something like the end of the world again, but that was not so. Bhunivelze was not dead, nor did he think that Caius had the ability to contain him forever. Was he not the original creator of the fal'Cie? But why Light? What was so important about her that everything unnatural seemed drawn to her; either to destroy or protect the world.

"Shouldn't you be heading home," a voice questioned. Hope glanced up, a strained smile on his face. How did he explain that the past was so close to the surface without sounding like a complete idiot.

"Apparently Gadot and other members of NORA are throwing a surprise party for Snow. I'm not one to enjoy public get togethers, but Fang was extremely adamant that I show up."

A flicker of interest flashed in the former Captain's eyes, but it died as quickly as it had appeared. Once, a very long time ago, he had believed in a cause, to only discover that he had been used like a pawn in a game that had cost him and his crew. As much as he wanted to blame Raines, he truly wondered if he might have been able to resist his Focus like Hope and his companions had done? Only because they were inadvertently following the will of the fal'Cie that had marked them, had they been able to endure to the end. "I think that Soldier... what's her name... the Sanctum had a lot of interest in her."

"But why..."

"She's special... that's all Cid would say, that she had to survive. Of everything else that had been a lie, I don't think protecting her had been." Rygdea took the empty seat in front of Hope's desk, looking just as haunted and tired as everyone else that had somehow found themselves reborn in the new world. "She's something else, all right. Cid never stopped watching over her, even from within the Chaos."

"He's back; isn't he?"

"If he is, I haven't seen him. I do know this; any information that had been on Farron, he insured was erased. Anything before her 16th birthday, he destroyed, and the Sanctum questioned him for hours, trying to tie him to the tampering of their computer databases. They couldn't prove it, but that is perhaps also the reason the Sanctum fal'Cie became so interested in her. Unlike other l'Cie, she couldn't be controlled or manipulated to their will. That same force of will fed over to the others that followed her, as if she was somehow keeping them from turning Cie'th that much longer. I'm not the one that could really say, however; only Cid has those answers."

"Are you doing anything tonight," Hope asked him.

"Not really," he stated, getting up to leave.

"I don't think they'll mind if you stop by," Hope offered, once again seeing that flicker of interest. He had been so young back then, but was it possible that Rygdea had a thing for Fang?

"No promises."

* * *

><p>"Are you ever going to tell her?"<p>

"It's probably best that she not know."

"Unnatural forces will never stop pursuing her; you know this..."

With a heavy sigh, Nora watched the man place his empty cup on the table, his dark eyes shadowed with secrets that she didn't dare contemplate. "Perhaps, but she is no longer alone, and she has already defied destiny once." And he was gone, but where he stood, the shadow of his warning remained and Nora glanced over her shoulder at her husband.

"Hasn't she suffered enough?"

"There's still time..."


	16. In Pursuit Of Snow

In Pursuit of Snow - (**Chapter Two**)

* * *

><p>At first glance, she was no more than a young teenage girl. However, as the result of being marked a l'Cie, she was much, much older. One moment she had been playing an active part in the War of Transgression, and the next, she was nothing more than a memory in the eyes of Cocoon. To them, she was just another citizen. Little did any of them know was that she had once been on the other side, living on the very world these people hated and feared. She hadn't been thinking beyond the part where she was going home, that all of this had been an elaborate lie to get them out of the public eye, and people were dying all around them in an effort to stamp out the 'Pulse' threat.<p>

A lot of screaming later, she came to realize two things: one, the people of Cocoon were really no different than the people from Pulse. Two, she really wished she had found another way to sneak away from the train survivors. Anything was better than spinning out of control on an air bike. It amazed her that they managed to somehow crash land on the Vestige. If they had been on the outside, PSICOM would have finished off what Hope managed to fail at in his horrible efforts to fly a machine too powerful for him.

Vanille, dazed and hurting, forced herself to focus. Normally she wouldn't have used her powers, but Hope wasn't moving, and she only had so much time before either of them bled to death. Drawing on her fading strength, she felt it's warmth as it spread through her body. At this point she had a choice to make, one that would make Fang frown at her in disappointment, but Hope was just a child. Having just lost his mother, she had easily manipulated him into getting onto the air bike, and if she didn't do something, he'd die.

Always, in the past, her enemies had been clear, but those lines were blurred now, and her instincts screamed at her to save him. Feeling his heavy weight pressing her down, she reached to touch his hand, giving him just enough healing power to keep him from dying, but not so much that he'd wake and discover what she was. "Wow, that was close." Feeling Hope begin to move, she inched her way free, and sat up, brushing off the dust from her arms and body. Other than a few cuts and bruises, there was nothing to indicate that she might have used l'Cie magic to save them.

Hope soon sat up himself, not really saying much, and re-thinking what he had just done. He should have never listened to Vanille, but they had no where to go, and they were now inside the very thing that had gotten them exiled in the first place. Shaking her head, still dizzy from the ride, "Now where is the..." Standing to her feet, she slowly turned around, searching for the air bike, and attempting to assess their exact location. The air bike was lying against the wall, it's engine destroyed, and their location was the Sacrarium inside of the Vestige. "Oops," she whispered. "Well then..." She kept that information to herself. As far as Hope was concerned, she had never been here before.

Escape by air was no longer an option, but that didn't bother her as much as it bothered her blond headed companion. He still hadn't really moved, the anger gone from his expression. In it's place was fear and anguish. The Vestige was actually quite remarkable, a place that had housed several of the Pulse Soldiers during the War of Transgression. She saw no other sign of her comrades, not even Fang, and her heart sank. _Am I the only one left, _she thought to herself. "Guess it's just us."

"What did you expect?" Hope snapped, glaring at her in annoyance.

Vanille should have expected this, but it still hurt. Fang and herself had grown up together in the same village, gone to a fal'Cie to help fight against Cocoon; why none of them really ever bothered to ask. One day, the fal'Cie on Pulse had declared war on Cocoon, and having no reason to question a supernatural being, they quickly rose to the call. Now, as she had decided to turn Cie'th rather than to carry out a Focus she no longer believed in, she was stuck here with a boy that hated what she was; he just wasn't aware of it yet. Right now, he saw her as another victim in the Sanctum's war against Bodhum. If he knew, would he hate her like everyone else on Cocoon?

Hope saw her as a naive little girl, oblivious to the dangers around her, and the threat the Vestige posed to them. Did she really believe that anyone else would come here? The serious tone in his voice had taken her completely by surprise, and she turned to see nothing but blind hate on his face. "Even Soldiers know not to go near the fal'Cie." Vanille wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that the fal'Cie wasn't as bad as these people were making out. And yet, she was also in self-denial. It had taken everything from her, just as it had with this boy, Snow, and anyone else caught in the battle with PSICOM. "You become a Pulse l'Cie, and you're finished!"

That, she knew, wasn't true! She had been a Pulse l'Cie for almost two months before turning to crystal, and she wasn't about to give up now. "What do you mean 'finished?'" she snapped, her own anger rising. What the hell did he know what it was like to be a l'Cie, to do anything and everything it wanted in order to not become a dreaded Cie'th?

"Haven't you heard, miss-"

"Vanille."

"Huh?" Her tone had once again changed, and it took him a moment to follow her response. One moment she had been ready to yell back at him and argue, now she was back to smiling again, as if their conversation no longer mattered.

"My name, and yours?" Where had she been; under a rock? Everyone knew better than to get near anything Pulse related, but she didn't seem to care.

Vanille had taught herself a long time ago to not to let the way others thought of her get her down, but it wasn't so easy when she looked into his blue eyes, filled with intense emotion. From the little bit of information she had managed to gather about these people, they had been raised to believe old wives tales about Pulse, most of it not true, and outdated. Pulse l'Cie had no control over their lives once marked by a fal'Cie, but that didn't mean they enjoyed unnecessary violence.

Knowing she had a long way to go before making it back to Pulse, and not wanting his death on her conscious, she chose to make the best of things, and her anger dissipated as quickly as he had fueled it with his careless words. As a l'Cie, unless she finished her Focus, she'd turned into a Cie'th. Time was running out, and at this point, it really didn't matter what he thought of her. Offering him her hand, she waited, a sad smile on her face.

He had no idea why he took it, only that he felt a strange connection to her. "Hope," he finally told her. Dusting him off, she waited for him to take a deep breath, and look around, "Thank you." Once again, he was the vulnerable, scared boy she had met on the train. "What were we thinking?"

_I wanted to go home, _she thought, but it was too late to reconsider taking him with her. She only hoped that one day he might forgive her, and come to love Pulse the way she did. "Well, since we're here, let's look around!" Hope didn't like that idea, but considering their options, he had no choice but to follow. He only hoped they find a door at some point, not knowing that she was familiar with the place, and every exit point.

Hope had never seen anything this big before. Climbing a series of stairs, Vanille hummed to herself as they explored, everything about them like a maze. Somehow she always found a corridor or hallway to follow, and just as he was about to ask where she was taking them, she took off running towards a large column, climbing to the top. "Oh, check this out!"

She had to make it seem like she had no idea this spot was here, that she had accidentally spotted the staff. Thankfully, Hope never asked, but called out to her in concern. "Hey! Vanille!" She wanted to tell him not to worry so much, that they were completely safe, but not even she knew for certain. "Where are you?" At last, she reached the small crevice inside of the column, her eyes misting over as she reached for her favorite staff. It held so much meaning to her, having gotten her through a lot over the past couple of years.

Laughing as if discovering an old friend, she spun in circles, as if she were familiar with the weapon, an extension of herself. Taking up a fighting pose, she gazed at him, and he had to admit, she was attractive despite their current circumstances. "Well?" she asked him, and he had to fight the urge not to glance away. He had just turned 15 not to long ago, and until now, he had never really found himself interested in a girl before. It had always been just him and his mom.

Hope never understood why people had to fight, why there was a need for a military, but it was becoming quite obvious that there was a need, and it wasn't for the reasons everyone thought. It was the Sanctum military that had authorized the Purge, and it was the Sanctum military that was murdering innocent civilians. Vanille didn't seem like the type to like violence either, but she held that staff as if it were a part of her. "That's uh..."

She wasn't like any girl he had ever met in his life. Most would have been shaking in terror, screaming and crying, but she didn't seem afraid at all. Asleep on another pillar, was a sleeping Pantheron, waking up when it heard the kids below. Despite it's bio-engineering, it was still a cat like creature, and it acted like one if it didn't have anything to do. After those that controlled it vanished, it had found a quiet spot to curl up and sleep, not needing food or water to stay alive.

With the appearance of the two kids, it roared, jumping down in front of them, programmed to kill anything other than those wearing PSICOM uniforms. Hope, having never fought in his life, reluctantly reached for the item his father had given him as a present. His only thought was to keep Vanille safe, to not let her die like his mother. And yet, Vanille once again surprised him when she rushed up to stand at his side, braced and ready for combat.

"Just stay focused and calm; okay?" she said. He nodded, unable to speak through his terror filled mind. This was something a Soldier was trained to do, but there wasn't any around, and he didn't want to die in this place. Following her lead, he threw his boomerang like he had been taught, surprised at how easily it worked, and within seconds, their enemy died. The staff folding into three sections, she tucked it behind her back, and she began humming again. "Okay!" Back to exploring!"

There was really only a couple of levels, but filled with twists and turns that provided a chance to pick up parts for weapons, potions, or even money left behind from previous victims of the Vestige. Occasionally they ran into other Pantheron's or Zwerg Scandroids, but they seemed isolated from the rest of PSICOM and operating on their pre-programmed orders. At times, Vanille acted clueless and air headed, but Hope began to have serious concerns that she was perhaps lying to him. She seemed to know the place as if she had been here before, navigating with confidence and a purpose.

"I thought that this place was suppose to be empty?" Hope asked. Why were they're Sanctum Soldiers and bio-weapons inside, and where was Snow? Suddenly Hope forgot all his suspicions and questions, charging forward towards another air bike. Only one other person was stupid enough to come here, for reasons he didn't know. "Where is he?" he hissed in fury. Snow's body wasn't among the wreckage, but Vanille didn't seem to care, hopping over the debris and continuing onward.

Her behavior confused him, and finally wanting answers, "Aren't you scared?" he demanded. She paused, but only for a fraction of a second and then she turned to continued towards another flight of stairs.

"Not so much," she replied. He didn't catch her hints of guilt and second thoughts; all he heard was child like naivety.

"You really don't get it." His last comment shouldn't have angered her, but it did. If any of them were ignorant and blind, it was this Cocoon brat that didn't seem to understand the desperate situation they were in. His own had turned on him and Bodhum, the true enemy that had killed his mother, and he wanted to continue spouting off nonsense that was nothing more than lies and myth.

Waiving her finger in his face, pacing back and forth; "Pulse Fal'cie and l'Cie are bad news. That's why Cocoon kicked them out!" She said the latter with barely restrained rage, but he didn't seem to notice it. "Live too close to the fal'Cie? One-way ticket to Pulse! That's the Purge in a nutshell."

"If they catch us here, they'll Purge us too. And, then-"

"What's your problem?" she shouted, startling him into silence. Vanille quickly realized her error. Of course he wouldn't understand and she had to fight back her own anger and fear.

"What's my-? Pulse is hell on Earth!" Vanille had heard the same about Cocoon, and watching his expression crumble, overwhelmed with guilt, anger, and fear, she felt the rage float away like the wind. Suddenly without warning, she hugged him; "We'll be okay; calm down!"

Shoving her, "Get off of me." Why did she do that? Girls made him uncomfortable, especially this one.

"SERAH? CAN YOU HEAR ME? WHERE ARE YOU?!" Just hearing Snow's voice brought it all back, and everything he had just told Vanille, he temporarily forgot as he charged towards him.


	17. Reflections - Part Nine

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Nine<strong>

One would think they were preparing for a funeral rather than a party, everyone cooking and cleaning in silence. Light paused, studying them carefully. Granted, she had a lot of demons of her own, but like herself, Vanille had been asleep for an incredibly long time. Each time she woke up, she'd find herself in the middle of another catastrophe, and with that, came a lot of regret and guilt. "We never really had a chance to talk; did we?" Light asked, Vanille glancing up. She was in the process of mixing the flour and eggs, with only several more bowls to go.

Light didn't have much of a clue when it came to baking, but it was relaxing in its own way; different than fighting and killing all the time. "Not much to talk about," she answered, providing her infamous smile. However, Lightning knew that smile for what it was, a mask for the real pain she tried so hard to hide. That was Vanille, taking into consideration other people before herself.

"I know you don't just sleep inside the crystal," Light pushed, refusing to accept that Vanille wasn't hurting like the rest of them.

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped, the tears starting to gather.

Covering Vanille's hands with her own, "The cake batter says otherwise." Vanille looked down and gasped, surprised that almost all of it had splattered over the counter. "Hope never stopped trying to free you guys."

"I couldn't see them," she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "It was different, not like the first time. Before, we never had any nightmares, only regret. This last time... the visions... they were horrifying... Their voices, of the people I killed, cried out again and again for redemption, that it wasn't fair that I still had a chance at life, while they remained for an eternity inside of Chaos. And then his voice overshadowed them, telling me that there was a way to end their suffering, that I had a chance to make up for the wrongs I caused."

"Bhunivelze..." Vanille nodded. "That's not the main reason you're avoiding Hope, though, is it? You two had become really close towards the end; what happened, Vanille. What did Bhunivelze tell you?"

"How?" she gasped, her features pale.

"You weren't the only one he tried to manipulate and lie to. What did he tell you?"

"He said that if I had a change of heart; Hope's soul would take the place of all the ones I refused to give redemption." Vanille started to shake, dropping the bowl to the counter. Hugging someone wasn't normally one of her better skills, but Vanille was a lot like a sister to her; all of them were, and the younger girl had not really been given a chance to come to terms with either Cocoon's destruction, or nearly killing off all the souls that wanted salvation rather than annihilation.

"Light... he almost... he almost took him from..."

"You weren't the one that screwed up, Vanille. I was so busy worried about saving everyone else, that I never stopped to realize that Hope was being manipulated and controlled. Just for a moment, right before I made the decision to stay behind and trap Bhunivelze inside of Chaos, he was himself and he never once looked at me with hate or regret. My heart shattered... that kid... I swore to never let anything to happen to him and I never once thought he needed saving just as desperately as everyone else."

"He called out to us," she whispered, "Hope did... I think he knew what you were going to do, and instead of running like you told him to, he cried out for us to not let you go."

"I may not have a choice..." Light whispered, pulling back to wipe away Vanille's tears. "One battle does not win a war..."

"But..."

"It's okay... I knew this when Snow and Hope reached out for me. If I had given up, then all the lives I saved would have simply been prime targets later. I won't let that happen. As for Hope; you do realize he's not 15, right?"

"He looked 15 when we fought Bhunivelze..."

"That wasn't his true age." Vanille frowned, and Light decided to let Hope surprise her, hoping Fang managed to convince him to show. He had been extremely busy the past several weeks, promising to fill her in when he had everything worked out. Lightning trusted Hope, always had.


	18. Where Men Fear To Tread

Where Men Fear To Tread

* * *

><p>Time wasn't on his side, and he knew this as he made his way through the many corridors in front of him. Just minutes ahead of the children, unaware that they were inside with him, he had gone a different direction, taken off guard at the complexity of the Vestige. He had two tasks: first, to find Serah and Lightning, and second, getting them out of the Vestige before PSICOM conducted an all out air strike against it.<p>

Despite the odds against him, he refused to leave this place without either of them. Gadot, as much as he hated leaving his friend, had just as much of a chance at getting the citizens to safety as he did. It was quite possible, with PSICOM and the Sanctum distracted with the appearance of the Vestige, they'd have a chance, slim as it may seem. Snow could wander around here forever, and still not know every hidden crevice, every stair way, and the activation points he needed to get to Serah.

"SERAH! CAN YOU HEAR ME! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Snow, despite his sometimes reckless demeanor, would have turned back around if he had known of the two children. Instead, he pressed forward, but luck was still on his side. Despite the twists and turns, there was usually only one way to go, alternate paths coming to a dead end that forced him back on the current path he was on. Shouting her name again and again, he hoped that either Lightning or Serah would answer him. On second thought, make that Serah. He had his doubts that Lightning would ever reach out to him for help, regardless if she was in need or not. "Don't worry, Serah. Your hero is on his way."

The only problem with doing this alone, was that he had nothing other than his thoughts to keep him company. No longer fighting, he had plenty of time to reflect on his failures, to include the woman that had tried to save him. He had no idea why she had done it, only that she had been more than a simple woman, posing as a mother. She had had military training, knowing how to fire a weapon without help, how to pick up a rocket launcher, and knowing exactly where to strike her opponent. Who had she been talking about though? Who was he supposed to get home? He had no doubt in his mind that she had been protecting someone, but he had no guarantees that the kid had made it past the initial train de-railing, if he was a live now, or if Gadot would somehow manage to get him off the Trussway's without PSICOM finishing what they had started once the Vestige was destroyed.

Guilt and regret consumed him, and his only consolation was that Lightning hadn't taken a part in this, having chosen her sister over PSICOM and the Sanctum. It didn't answer his questions to why she served them in the first place, but now that the Sanctum had targeted her, Lightning no longer had any reason to stay in the military. She had so many demons, so many secrets, and if he only had the time to figure her out. Even Serah didn't seem to know why her sister did the things that she did, but he had almost saw the real Lightning, the woman that was so desperate to keep Serah safe and away from the Sanctum.

Serah needed to see her sister again, regardless if Snow was the one to keep her safe or not. Perhaps Lightning had been right. He wasn't the one to keep her safe from harm, but he hadn't done it for Serah, he had done it for Lightning. The day he had managed to confront her, there had been so much anguish and fear in her gaze, and he had vowed then to break her free from the Sanctum's grasp. Ahead of him was a glowing, green panel, but to get to it, were a few PSCIOM bio-weapons. Why they were here without their master's wasn't his concern, only that they were between him and getting to Serah. "Wonder what that's for."

Snow had one of two options, turn around and find another way to get to Serah, or go through the Pantheron's and figure out what it was for. It was possible it might be a trap, but one didn't get anywhere without taking chances. The worst thing that would happen was that it would blow up. The best thing would be it activated something important that would help him move onward without having to retrace his footsteps.

The Pulse Vestige was from an entirely different world than Cocoon, and it was possible that the green light was like a control point. Something else that bothered him, were the presence of PSICOM bio-weapons, pacing throughout the entire Vestige. Unlike humans, they wouldn't find themselves marked by the fal'Cie, plagued with a possible curse that could turn them into a l'Cie monster.

The Sanctum had a lot to answer for, and this was another one of their nasty little secrets. If they were going to kill him before, if they discovered he had stepped foot into this place, he'd never make it to a ripe old age. Snow wasn't concerned with taking them out; after everything else he had faced that morning, these were easily dealt with, and without their masters, kind of stupid.

Descending a set of stairs, he reached the green device and stared at it. "Just hold on Serah."

It didn't seem like much, but as soon as he touched it, everything around him exploded in a bright white light. The glass tube that was above the one he activated turned yellow, soon followed by the ones in the center of the floor behind him. It formed a bright circle, and once the last one lit, the entire floor lit up and began to change. Some stair ways completed themselves, but still came to a dead end at the top, leaving only one option as he watched a platform lower itself.

The way everything moved and changed in this place was quite remarkable, something he'd never again witness. If it wasn't for the fact that the Pulse Vestige had the ability to make him a fal'Cie slave, he'd say it was beautiful even. However, he wasn't stupid enough to fall for the majestic feel of the place, instead he remained focused and as the red barrier around the elevator faded, he climbed on to it and allowed it to take him to the next level.


	19. Reflections - Part Ten

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Ten<strong>

Pulling up to the NORA hang-out, Snow reflected on the years he had been away. Gadot had known there was a possibility he'd never come back, and yet he never let the gang stray from its original purpose. Quite the opposite, it had not only become a strong influence during the early days of New Bodhum, but the people had come to respect NORA and their ability to always stay impartial to the government versus the welfare of the people.

"Gadot?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened after I left; I mean when I went after Serah and Light? After everything turned to crystal and being made a l'Cie, so much happened, that I never thought I'd ever find out if you guys had made it or not."

"Long story short... the army was gearing up for another attack when everything suddenly turned to crystal. I knew something had happened, and without confirmation if you were alive or not, I forced NORA to move on. It wasn't easy either. Something about the entire incident sent PSICOM into an uproar, and there wasn't a day that didn't go by that we didn't spot recon patrols. Whatever they were looking for, it wasn't a bunch of Purge Survivors? Our own recon units later mentioned that they were looking for five, confirmed, l'Cie. I had a feeling you were one of them."

"And you still came after me?" Snow asked, at a complete loss for words.

"We made a promise, the three of us, and it wasn't to let you go off saving the world without us. I don't know if we managed to offer much in the terms of assistance, but we knew you guys were struggling to protect the civilians, fight PSICOM, and somehow get to the Sanctum fal'Cie."

"How'd you find out we were after the Sanctum fal'Cie?"

"Wasn't hard. You hated the Sanctum, and when that broadcast showed Light and yourself in Palumpolum, we knew what we had to do. You were fighting our fight, and all we could do was continue hiding in the shadows like we had been, or go down fighting ourselves." Gadot threw back his head and laughed; "What I couldn't figure out though, was the connection to that kid. You hated kids, always talked about never having one, and yet I watched as Light threw him at you and took off into a crowd of Soldiers, trying to draw their fire."

"He was that woman's son, the one that fell when we were trying to make our escape."

"Whoa..." Gadot sighed. He briefly recalled the boss's state of mind after the woman had fallen, but now everything started to make sense and fall into place.

"Yea... Kid toughed up; I had no idea... not until he threw me off a building..."

"He what-?!"

"I always thought he was the weakest link, but he ended up be one of the strongest, always giving us a reason to continue moving forward. After that, Light and I unofficially took him under our protection. She really loves that kid; I could see it in the way she would give him a fond smile of affection. They were rare, but I knew then that she had wanted a child of her own, but she wouldn't take the chance of having one and have it lose its parents the way she had. And what she almost sacrificed to get him back from Bhunivelze..." Snow shuddered, not wanting to contemplate how close he had been to losing her forever.

"I keep hearing the two of you talk about him; who was he?"

"Light's worse nightmare, and our biggest enemy. For now, we have a friend keeping him locked away, but for how long is anyone's guess. Light refuses to believe that he'll stay there; she's so afraid of the darkness. How can I turn out the lights when the thing she fears the most is them going out permanently, trapped in an eternal night with no hope of ever seeing that light again."

"Give her a reason to keep fighting..."

"Wha-?"

"Boss, she stares at all of us as if it's for the last time. The darkness; teach her to embrace, not fear it."

The camp was empty, and Snow frowned, glancing at Gadot with an unspoken question. "Where is everyone?"

"I have everyone performing various tasks."

"Uh-huh... What kind of tasks?"

"Training... gathering supplies... Military operation related..."

"Right..." _Light... Gadot's up to something._

_He's your second in command... I'm supposed to know what he's thinking or planning?_ She quickly withdrew from his mind, but not before she started mentally laughing, struggling not to let Snow hear or see what she was thinking.

"I'm not sure what everyone has planned, but just remember, clean up and guard duty for a month is still a preferred method for handling errant Soldiers. And I'm not adverse to adding my second-in-command to that list."

Gadot's smile only widened; "Sometimes, Boss, the task is well worth the punishment. And for the record, Light isn't one of ours; she's free to do as she wants."

_You're in on this, Light?_ Snow didn't like surprises, not since becoming a l'Cie the first time.

Her mental laughter was his only warning that she truly was in on what ever it was they had planned, but as hard as he tried to pry it from Gadot or her, they remained stubbornly silent. The scary part; Light didn't laugh unless she was in the middle of a war or she was about ready to pulverize someone. Oh boy, _whatever I did... Can I apologize now?_ He pleaded.

_Nope._


	20. The Open Door Beckons

The Open Door Beckons

* * *

><p>Still outside, Lightning and Sazh at last made it to the Vestige, but barring her from entry was a red energy field. No matter how hard she hit it with her gun blade, she made no progress, and she began to grow desperate in her need to get inside. If she didn't find a way in and soon, the Sanctum would order an air strike, and her sister would die inside of it.<p>

Lightning briefly wondered what Snow would say at this point, if he knew that she wasn't fighting this battle alone. The thought almost made her laugh; perhaps she wasn't as unapproachable as she had thought, but everything had changed so much since her last confrontation with Snow. She wasn't with the military any longer, and everything that was important to her was being kept prisoner inside of the very thing the Sanctum wanted destroyed. If they knew she was here, they'd probably try to stop and acquire her, but what they didn't know, would only serve her purpose in the end.

Sazh had never seen anyone so focused until her, and he had at first considered leaving. However, with her entire being focused on the red barrier, she would never hear anyone approach until it was too late. Tired, and filled with his own despair, he decided that he stood no more chance of surviving if he left, than if he followed her through with this. He had just as much reason to hate this thing as she did, but he knew his reasons; what about her? Why was she so bent on destroying the Pulse fal'Cie, with no regards to her own life?

He knew the Soldier girl might make it, and perhaps he was being paranoid, but he had watched her hand over her weapon in Bodhum, board the train, kill those she had once served, and now this... What was driving her to such lengths, to go against all of PSICOM, and to face what most men would have fled from in terror? Lightning didn't react to fear the same way most did; instead she grew more dangerous, feral almost, and she was something to behold as she faced enemy after enemy. Instead of breaking down, she grew more focused, and everything her blade touched, fell to the ground in pieces.

She had no idea when she had come to take a personal responsibility for this man, why she even cared if he made it or not. However, so long as he chose to follow and continue to take orders from her, she had decided to treat him like any other Soldier beneath her command. A rookie would have questioned her, refused to follow some of her orders, but not this man. Everything she had asked of him, he did. He didn't run screaming, he didn't try to hide; he simply accepted what was happening, despite his lack of knowledge and experience in combat.

His earlier desire to find a way out of this mess had turned into a grim resolve, as if he knew he wasn't going to make it, and chose to make the best of things. If they were going to die, he'd continue to support her and take out as many of these murdering bastards as he could before he did. Why had he chosen to stay? He was watching her, but she wasn't one to ask personal questions. The Pulse Vestige had destroyed all of their lives in a single moment, and as far as she was concerned, it needed to go. It didn't need to go to Pulse, but to oblivion where no other innocent person or city would have to suffer what had happened here today.

Sazh wasn't as young as he had once been, and watching her hammer away with either rage or grief, he found himself getting tired for her. Her stubbornness amused him in a strange way, as if he were dealing with a child rather than a grown woman. Perhaps the military valued such traits, but at certain times, it was important to know when to consider other options and conserve energy. If he said anything, he knew she'd ignore him, but after two hours, he decided enough was enough. "Still won't budge?" he taunted. Standing to his feet, he walked towards her; "I think the door is winning."

Unknown to Lightning, the red glow that she was hacking at had been activated by Snow, and while he was traveling up and down the elevators, she couldn't get in. Lightning had decided she preferred when he was silent, debating on whether to hit him or not. No, she wouldn't strike him hard enough to kill the man, but enough to leave him unconscious for awhile until she found away to get inside. However, he also had a valid point. If she continued in her current mode, she'd make no progress, and the Sanctum wouldn't wait forever before attacking, using all firepower and weapons necessary to destroy the Vestige. The red barrier in front of her glowed like a red fire, and the last thing she needed to hear was Sazh telling her that the door was winning the battle of wills.

Taking a pause, she felt a powerful wave of guilt overwhelm her, and she had to blink back the tears. "Why didn't I listen?" she spoke to herself. Serah had tried so hard to tell her, but she had foolishly thought she was lying. If she had simply believed her, none of this would have gone this far. Yes, the Sanctum might have been hot on their trails, but all of Bodhum might have been spared. In her moment of clarity, she had come to realize that Snow had proposed to Serah to save her, and if they had worked together, they might have actually succeeded at getting her out of the city. Now, in the middle of the largest battle she had ever seen or read about, thousands of people were dead and still dying. Yes, she wanted to blame him, but the blame rested on her shoulders and her shoulders alone.

"Beg your pardon," Sazh asked, but she wasn't listening to him any longer.

Trapped in a world of pain and despair, she reached out and touched the fiery wall... "It was me," she told it, as if she were talking to her sister.

_The chosen one..._ she heard something whisper. Blinking, she glanced around, seeing only Sazh and herself. Lowering her hand to her side, she felt all the shame and humiliation of her stubbornness. "This is my fault." _Inside..._ the voice whispered again, as if something was calling to her. Was it Serah? She had no idea, but whether it was or wasn't, didn't matter.

"Beg your pardon?" Sazh repeated, still confused. Had she finally lost her mind? It wasn't like her to strike up a random conversation, and most definitely not to herself.

"Cover your ears," she ordered him quietly. From their previous battles, she already knew he would listen. Lightning had no idea why she was about to do what she was going to do, but if the Pulse Vestige truly was part of the fal'Cie, then the fal'Cie might hear her need to get to Serah. Was risking the possibility of becoming a l'Cie herself worth what she was about to do?

Finally, thinking she was going to do something other than mindlessly hack at the red barrier, he turned around and moved a ways up the path leading to the Vestige. "Oh, blast charge. Hold on, hold on!" Putting some space between her and the door, he covered his ears; "All right, go for it! Make it happen!"

She smiled, amused that he had believed her, but she didn't want him to see what she was about to do or say. Reaching out again, she touched the barrier, her voice filled with apologetic remorse. The moment her hand connected to the barrier, she watched a spark of energy flare up; "I'm so sorry. Please let me in?" she begged. "Please?" If anyone had witnessed her momentary kindness and compassion, she'd have never admitted it. The red barrier glowed bright white, opening the door that had been keeping them locked out. Whether the vessel had heard and complied, or Snow had finished riding the elevator, releasing the energy to return to normal. Either way, she now had a way in.

"What the - Hey! What did - How'd you open it?" As always, she didn't explain, and she rather liked causing the man frustration. Throwing his arms up in exasperation, "After you." Following close behind, the door slid shut once more, the barrier re-forming. How did no one notice this place after so many centuries?

* * *

><p>Everything about the place took your breath away, the size, the amount of time and effort it took to make it. If she didn't consider it a threat and enemy, she might have thought it was beautiful, her thoughts and emotions so similar to Snow's, you would think they were psychically linked. The ceiling towered above them, so high, that it would take an air craft just to reach. Lightning found herself amazed at the sheer size of the Vestige. How could anyone have thought something so plain on the outside, could have been harmless?<p>

As a reaction to Snow triggering all the green devices, Lightning walked up and down the lit up corridors, spotting a set of stairs in the distance. To her surprise, what should have been empty on the inside, had several Pantherons, Myrmidons, and Zwerg Scandroids. They were everywhere, far more than Sazh and herself had faced trying to get to the vestige. If the Sanctum had wanted to destroy this place, why the heavy presence of PSICOM? Was the purge of Bodhum more than just a fear of infection, or to cover up something the Sanctum didn't want discovered? Like Snow, she didn't trust the military, never had and never would. However, unlike Snow, she had had no alternative to joining them, not without losing Serah to the Sanctum.

The past and present began to blend, and her heart started to pound violently in her chest. What if the death of her parents was linked to the events that had led to the 'purge' of Bodhum? She had to calm herself; without answers to her questions, it was pointless to work herself into a frenzy. First she had to find Serah, and then she'd do everything in her power to not only free Serah from the curse, but to dig and discover every dirty secret the Sanctum was trying to hide.

She had been sixteen when the PSICOM hit squad invaded her home, killing them, and taking her into custody. They asked her so many questions that day, where she was born, what her hobbies were, what skills she had, and none of her ordinary answers seemed to satisfy or pacify them. Instead, it seemed to fuel their rage, and need to torture her more. They wanted to know why her hair was an odd shade of pink, but she tried to tell them that was the way she was born, that there was nothing special about her.

Forcing herself back to the present, all they had to worry about were the Pantherons and Scandroids. Occasionally they came across the Myrmidon's, but without direct contact with PSICOM, they were on an auto program that made them relatively easy to figure out and destroy. "You think this was some kind of welcoming party from the first recon team they sent in?" Startled, she controlled the urge to ask him questions.

What did Sazh know about the Sanctum's role with the Vestige? Damn the Sanctum! They were going to pay for all of this; Bodhum, her career, and most definitely for involving Serah! The plus side to the Sanctum having been inside prior to them was the amount of items they found. The biggest prize was finding a Gladius, a definite improvement to her Blazefire Saber. PSICOM weapons compared to the Guardian Corps ones had definite advantages and regardless of how or why; she wasn't about to simply leave it lying around.

Going up one more flight of stairs, and taking out another set of PSICOM leftovers, they took a moment to regain their strength. "If those things are still around, might be some Soldiers trapped in here too." She had her doubts. Most PSICOM bio-weapons and robots always had a Soldier with them. So far, they had seen no sign except weapons, potions, and money, as if they had completely vanished.

Sazh had become less skittish, no longer hesitating with each encounter. Instincts were starting to kick in, and relying less on Lightning to call the shots. He had good judgement, and still focused his fire power on her target. She went in close, while he stayed back, a great combination regardless of his non-military experience. As much as she hated to admit it, she was grateful he had tagged along. The day's events had started to take its toll on her, and with so many enemies, she might not have made it this far.

Lightning had a hunch Sazh had his own reasons for continuing, but she hadn't asked him, nor would she. It wasn't her way, nor did she feel it necessary with the current task at hand. Sazh might eventually tell her whether she asked or not, something he'd do without any interference on her part. "Except they'd probably be l'Cie by now," he finished, "not even human anymore."

Sazh had learned to expect silence from her, Lightning not one for a lot of talking. If she had something to say, she did, and then she reverted back to action and observation. He wasn't sure if all Soldiers were like her, but perhaps it wasn't a bad thing. "Just Pulse l'Cie. Enemies of Cocoon. Can't show 'em any mercy."

He had no idea that his words cut deep, Lightning inwardly flinching at each statement. She had known this, had even supported the reasoning behind it. However, what the hell did he know about enemies of the state? The 'enemies' were Cocoon citizens, young girls that had no concept of violence. A shadow of pain flickered in her eyes, but he didn't see, and she kept turned away. Had she not said that same things to Serah two days ago? It cut through her like her own gun blade, and she realized she hadn't meant those words and truly wished Snow had forced the confrontation between them a little harder.

Lightning wanted to scream at Sazh, to shout that he knew nothing of the l'Cie or the curse. And yet she wasn't any different. Lightning kept telling herself that she'd end her sister's misery if necessary, but deep down, she knew she'd never have it in her to kill her sister. If he tried, so help her, she'd run him through.

* * *

><p>Snow was on yet another platform, spotting a green trigger in the middle. Knowing he'd have more stairs and platforms to climb, he simply continued. Eventually, he'd find Serah, and any thought of rest was ruthlessly shoved aside. He didn't have the time for rest, not with PSICOM preparing to make their move. "There's the next one," he said aloud. The sound of his voice kept him company and from recalling the day's events and failures. It didn't do much good, especially with the image of the woman's falling body replaying in his mind over and over again. He wanted to start over, to demand she keep watch over the kids, but that wasn't going to happen anymore than suddenly finding Serah without the mark of a fal'Cie slave.<p>

He wondered if Serah had never been marked, and the Pulse Vestige never discovered, would he have eventually found a way to get through to Lightning? As much as he wanted to contemplate and consider what-ifs, none of that mattered anymore. The only person he needed to focus on, was Serah, her life hanging in the balance. He had already failed so many that day, and he didn't want to add her to the list.

Serah was one of NORA, but he wasn't trying to rescue her simply because of that, but because of a woman that had apparently lost too much already. No, he didn't know the background story to Serah's and Lightning's parents, but what ever had happened, had done permanent damage on Lightning, a woman that feared emotional attachment. He had no idea why he even gave a damn; Snow could have anyone he wanted, but it was because of her rejection and unspoken fear that he tried so hard.

Pushing the activation device, another elevator lifted towards him, and he stepped on it, fists pounding into his palms. "All right! Hang on Serah! Your hero's on the way!"


	21. Reflections - Part Eleven

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Eleven<strong>

"Are we late?"

"Sazh!" Vanille cried out, running over for a hug. With waking up and finding out there were only so many days before the end of the world, she hadn't been able to find the time to find him or the others. "You're all right!"

"As good as ever," he assured her. The last time he had seen Vanille, was just after they defeated Orphan. Only instead of a happy ending, Fang and Vanille had little choice but to turn into Ragnarok, or watch both Cocoon and Pulse shatter. Looking at the young boy at his side, she couldn't help but gasp, her hands flying to her mouth; "Is this him... I mean... he woke up?"

"Yep, Dajh and Serah both."

"Daddy, can I go see Aunt Serah?"

"Sure buddy!" Dajh took off, all of them hearing the boy cry out her name when he found her in one of the other rooms decorating. "You realize Snow hates parties, right?"

"It's not like we're inviting an entire planet or anything," Light challenged.

"What's even crazier, is that you're agreeing to the idea. You and parities are not something I would have pictured you attending, unless it's like the day you showed up and crashed Snow's final 'end of days' festival."

"He needed that party crashed; who ever heard of playing dress up in a bunch of costumes? Whose stupid idea was it to make him patron over a city anyway?"

"I don't think he had a choice. After Serah died and you vanishing again; he was trapped in 500 A.F. We all were, hoping to save Vanille and Fang before the crystal pillar's collapse. Without NORA, he simply wandered from city to city helping people, fighting off Chaos with the curse of a fal'Cie. How he managed to hold off turning Cie'th as long as he did; beats me."

"Depends on the Focus he was given."

"So are we done? I mean with Chaos?"

"Chaos is a part of us, and of creation," Light quietly explained, feeling the flicker of fear return. She struggled to keep it under control; she had to do this, if not for herself, for Snow. He had so few happy memories, and she wanted to do this for him, for all of them. Something as simple as a birthday, and everyone that had ever helped them out in their long life times was gathering to offer their support and love to a man that had never asked for much in return. All he had wanted was to 'save the world.' She knew it was more than that, but she decided it was safer to think of everyone else than reflect on herself personally.

"There's something else; no one's aging or giving birth still."

Light froze, her terror almost exploding out of control. Was it already too late? Bhunivelze had wanted her as the goddess of birth and destruction, to replace Etro; why she had never bothered to ask, nor did she want to. "It probably just needs time," she whispered. _I can't go back there,_ she mentally thought, her mind a storm of helplessness and fear.

_Light... calm down... Focus... center on me and nothing else._ He seemed so far away, and despite having so many of her friends close, it wasn't Snow. He alone had the power to keep the darkness from taking her. Etro had never been given a choice; she suddenly knew this and she struggled to breathe, tears of anger starting to trail down her cheeks.

"Enough!" A voice commanded, breaking through her despair. Startled, she blinked, finding herself no longer in the past or her nightmare, but in a room with Sazh and Vanille staring at her with concern. The voice that had broken through the vision, was none other than Cid Raines; she recalled him helping her once before, confirming Lumina's accusations that the new world was never intended for Serah or her friends. "You give Bhunivelze power every time you succumb to one of his visions; the weaker you are, the stronger he becomes. Sharing your power with Caius was perhaps the only thing that saved you; however, in doing so, you left a way for him to return and finish what he started."

"Then I was..."

"No. Once like so many times before, he cursed the fate you are promised on another. However, she was not as strong as you, and therefore allowed herself to exist alone, in a place separate from time. She gave Noel the power to defeat Caius, and in doing so, the key to ending a lifetime of regret and slavery to Bhunivelze's will. Do not allow yourself to suffer the same fate as Etro."

"Is it even possible to stop it? What if I don't have a choice?"

"There is always choice; you more than anyone know this."

Handing her an amulet, "Never take it off; no matter where you are, it will show the way. I will not allow Bhunivelze to have you; you will NOT suffer the same fate as Etro."

"Why are you doing this?" Light asked him, but he shook his head, already turning to leave. "Cid, wait!"

"I am still unable to reveal truths that should have never been hidden; I only hope that when I find the strength to tell that tale, you find it in yourself to understand the reasons behind the lies and secrets that I have maintained for far longer than humanity has been alive."

After he had left, Sazh barely had time enough to catch Light before she collapsed, her hand still clutching at the amulet. "I never know if he's a friend or an enemy," he complained.

"He's neither; Cid is trapped in a destiny as dark as mine." Light had no idea what his story was, but always when she thought there was no hope, Cid would appear and show her the way. Had he been reading her mind? What was his connection to her? It wasn't as intimate as Snow's, but he had known... without Snow, he had chosen to step in and shield her in his place. Was Bhunivelze perhaps attacking her through her nightmares and fears, trying to weaken her enough so that he may return and destroy what they had fought so hard to create? _I won't let you!_ A roar of fury echoed in her mind, and she shut him out; for now.

Snow was definitely agitated, and she glanced at them; "We have to hide everything before he gets here."

"Is it really that important; this party? What if..."

"I will not let that bastard take this from us! Have we not suffered enough? Please, I want to do this for him, for all of us. If we cancel this now, then Bhunivelze has one more victory... one more foothold into our world and of obtaining the Goddess he wants, one destined to exist utterly alone at the end of time. I can't do that again... Please Sazh... I'm begging you..."

Sazh and Vanille gaped, having never heard Lightning plead for anything; she was more like Snow than she'd ever admit, unable to see others suffer. The world had already experienced too much sadness. She wanted this new world to know joy and pride for as long as possible, to be able to draw on it in times of darkness and despair. "Sazh... do you remember... the day I was hacking away at that door."

"How could I forget? You were unreasonable back then; still couldn't figure out how you finally got in though."

"The fal'Cie... it spoke to me."

"It spoke to you?" Vanille asked.

"I thought it was Serah at first, but it wasn't. All fal'Cie were connected to Bhunivelze... it knew... it said I was the chosen one, but for what, and why me? Why am I so different than the fal'Cie, Chaos, Etro, and Bhunivelze himself all seem determined to possess? And I don't think it started with the fal'Cie; it started with my parents. The Sanctum murdered them, and I always thought it had something to do with Pulse. Now I'm not so sure."

"Can you keep Snow away from the back yard?" Vanille asked. Light nodded, Sazh joining her and getting everyone else that had arrived to help with decorations and set up. Needing a distraction, Light went down to the basement, throwing herself into her punching bag. _I won't let him win! _That same anger washed over her again, but it wasn't as strong this time, as if her defiance had weakened Bhunivelze somehow. Cid had been right. Caius might have taken the task of becoming the Lord of Chaos, but they were still linked. The stronger her fear, the weaker she became, and the more power she gave to Bhunivelze. She was stronger than that; she had to be, and she pounded away until her hands began to bleed, and even then she didn't stop, sweat dripping from her brow, her muscles starting to scream in agony, only forcing herself to push that much harder, to become something that no one could ever hurt again.


	22. In The Shadows of l'Cie

In the Shadow of the L'Cie

* * *

><p><em>He's still alive<em>, Hope thought, anger surging through him. He was such an idiot, making more promises. Snow hadn't saved his mother, hadn't saved the people of Bodhum, and he wasn't going to save who ever it was that he had come searching for. Yes, Hope and Vanille had found the other air bike, but until now, he hadn't been quite sure if it had belonged to the Sanctum, or Snow. Hearing his voice, echoing throughout the Vestige, he had all the proof he needed.

What had been a dark and creepy place, suddenly lit up, and Vanille realized that Snow must have found all the energy activation devices inside of the Vestige. They would have eventually made there way to them, but Snow had been here a little longer, and depending on how many monsters he had to fight, would have determined how much progress he would have made compared to the two teenagers.

"He is here. Calling himself a hero..."

Perhaps Snow hadn't succeeded at getting everyone to safety, but he had tried, more than she could say about anyone else. If it hadn't been for Snow and his team, none of them would have made it off the train, let alone to the platform that had ultimately killed Hope's mother. She had watched the same battle, and what Hope failed to realize, was that Snow had left the woman back, went for a rocket launcher, and failed to get it. The mother could have stayed behind that flimsy barrier, but she instead had chosen to finish what Snow had intended to do, and doing so placed herself directly in the danger zone.

She yet again, after firing a critical blow against the gun ship, had a chance to get away, but instead of getting back, she had taken a blast that would have most definitely killed the para-military commander. His mother hadn't died a victim, she had made her choices, and to Vanille, she was a hero, just like Snow as he made his way through the Vestige.

None of this was Snow's fault, but she had her own reasons to continue her silence and allow Hope his false misconceptions. Calmly, she walked up to him, her hands behind her back. Vanille wasn't one to lie to anyone, she simply said what she needed to, and allowed Hope to do the rest. "He's coming our way."

Her voice brought him back to the present, and his rage turned to pure panic. As much as he hated Snow, he was not yet ready to face him. Even if he did confront Snow, how would that bring his mother back? Vanille didn't want to go back to the Hanging Edge, to face PSICOM, or the people that didn't want to go to Pulse. "What should I do?"

It was an easy solution to her, but until Hope figure that out, she was going to use it to her advantage. Already knowing what he was going to do, regardless of what she said, she continued to appear understanding and compassionate. It wasn't that she didn't care about Hope, it was quite the opposite. She did understand, and she felt bad for his loss, but if she stayed here, she risked discovery and never seeing her home before her time ran out. "Tell him what you need to!" she suggested.

It would help with his anger, and for him to realize that Snow hadn't been the reason for his mother's death. Snow had actually tried to get her away from the danger, but the platform he had been on collapsed, taking them both to the depths below. It had surprised her that Snow had managed to survive, but he didn't give up, giving her a better impression of him than she had first thought. He almost reminded her of a friend, someone she thought lost to her.

"But nothing I say will change what happened," he despaired. A part of him did know, and she realized he needed time to sort it all out.

"We could just run away." she suggested. Her reasons were far different than Hope's, afraid Snow might send them out of the Vestige if he ran across them. Taking him another direction, using his need to run from Snow, she took him deeper in the Vestige.


	23. Reflections - Part Twelve

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Twelve<strong>

He had spent so long trying to keep them safe, never knowing if he'd live to see them awaken... more important, of seeing her again. Standing here, he could only watch, her smile much like he remembered. Knowing her, it was a way to cheer everyone up, not really a reflection of how she herself felt. Hope had spent the better part of two weeks trying to figure out why, of all the people Light had to save, that Bhunivelze didn't want the original l'Cie, the ones that had defied their fate to save humanity, didn't seem to have a place in the new world. Then he started to wonder if that was why; because they had defied the wills of immortal beings. If they would go so far as to defy a fal'Cie, their very nature and power from the 'Maker', then would they also not do the same of a supposedly benelovent God?

After Vanille and Fang had found themselves trapped in crystal, he had truly understood the pain Sazh, Light, and Snow had felt when watching their loved ones go through the same thing. Only, at the time, all of them had thought Light had vanished as well, their minds manipulated to believe that she to had disappeared into the pillar. Had that been Etro's work, or Bhunivelze; wanting them to believe that she was in one place, when actually, she was never meant to leave Valhalla? The thought enraged him, and he swore the moment he stepped foot into the new world to never let him have Light or anyone else that he loved. Only it probably wasn't that simple. Without l'Cie power, they didn't have the same abilities to save the world.

Or was he wrong? Bhunivelze had targeted every one of them, but why? What was so special about the six of them that he didn't want in the new world? He needed to find those answers, especially if he wanted to protect someone that he considered like a second mother to him. Without Light or Snow, he would have never made it to the end. "Are you going to go up to her, or simply keep staring?"

"I..."

"A girl only waits around so long you know..."

"It's not like that..." Hope stammered, but his friend simply laughed, patting him on the shoulder before wondering around to pitch in where he could. Unlike most officers, Rygdea didn't mind working, always willing to perform the same tasks that his Soldiers would have done. In his mind, work got done that much sooner, allowing more down time, or to provide better protection during the middle of a war. Rygdea and the Cavalry's fate had angered Hope, and the victory they had acquired pointless. They had lost so much... Vanille, Fang, Light, and millions of people in the blink of an eye. So few had survived, some forming up a camp at the base of the pillar, while those still stranded on Cocoon, tried to move forward despite not having any electricity or food being handed to them by a fal'Cie. To his knowledge, Vanille and Fang were the only two people that had originally come from Gran Pulse, during a time when their people had feared Cocoon, much the way Cocoon had feared them.

Now he knew it was all one elaborate lie, designed to bring back the maker if they could get Cocoon and Pulse to war against each other, and cause the mass extinction of an entire race of mortals and immortals alike. _Seems like they got their wish, regardless. We just post-poned it._

"Why do you look so sad?" A voice asked him. Startled from his thoughts, he had to blink several times and stare back at a set of green eyes that he hadn't seen since their fight against Orphan.

"Just lost in my thoughts," he quietly admitted. Without thinking about it, he wiped some chocolate from her lip, tasting it and watching her turn bright red and walked away. She didn't know who he was, and Hope briefly considered telling her, but it would be more entertaining if he let her figure it out. It also might help her to relax. Vanille had a horrible habit of bottling up how she felt, and around him, if she realized who he was, might either run out of guilt from the past, or treat him like a little kid. He wasn't a kid anymore, and he didn't view her like he had as a teenager.

"Wait!" she called after him, grabbing his wrist. She was chewing on her lip now, clearly flustered; "Have we met before?"

"Perhaps," he teased, smiling as she lept back. Vanille had only been awake a short time, not long enough for her to have developed feelings for anyone other than when they were rushing around Cocoon and Pulse. Back then, he had been consumed with too much anger and fear; when he didn't have her around anymore, it had left him with a sense of loss that hurt as bad, if not worse than losing his mother. "You should try letting down your hair..." She sucked in a deep breath, clearly at a loss on how to react.

He'd made a mental note to tell her before the end of the night, but he kind of liked her like this, and for once he had the upper hand. Vanille had been young and frightened back then, trying her best to survive. Hope had also realized, that if she hadn't dragged him into the Vestige, she might have turned Cie'th, and that thought often had him waking at night in a cold sweat. She didn't have to worry about hurting anyone, at least for now. He couldn't say ever again, not with the threat of Bhunivelze still lingering over them.

Spotting Sazh, he went over to him, the older man shaking his head as Vanille continued to watch them. "You had us travel through time five hundred years; least you could do was tell her who you were."

"I kind of prefer her that way; Vanille tries to act tough when she's quite vulnerable most of the time."

"You like her."

"Never said that I didn't."

* * *

><p>"Who was that?"<p>

"No idea," Vanille whispered. She felt a flicker of guilt at liking the younger man, but it wasn't very often she had had the luxury of spending time hoping for a life of her own, of a future with someone.

Fang frowned, watching as other members of NORA congregated around the blond, all of them acting is if they were familiar and friends with him. "I've seen him somewhere." Considering they were both in the same crystal stasis for the same length of time, Vanille knew there couldn't have been many people she knew. He had arrived with former Captain Rygdea, a shock for her friend, Vanille was certain. Rather than let on that she didn't know him; "Hey, Rygdea, been awhile hasn't it?"

The former Captain pulled away from setting up the tables and tents, walking over to the two women with a smile. "You don't mind that I'm here? Hope said it shouldn't be an issue."

"How's he doing?" Fang asked, having a hunch she knew who Hope was. Rygdea glanced towards the blond not far away.

"He works too hard, and he sleeps even less."

Vanille started to shake; that man had been Hope? She recalled Light telling her that he wasn't 15 anymore, but now instead of her being the older of the two, Hope had her beat by at least two years. The people at the temple had spoken of the legendary Hope, the way he had traveled through time to save her before the fall of the crystal pillar. Just a couple of days before Fang and herself had awoken, he had vanished, never to be heard from again; so they had thought.

Hope didn't seem mad at her... And he definitely didn't look like a kid anymore. Grabbing a flower from a nearby table, he walked back towards her, pealing off the stem enough to tuck it behind her ear. "Thinking of running again?" he asked her. Very slowly, he tugged at the bands holding up her hair, letting it fall in wavy curles around her shoulders. "I always liked it when you smiled; that's never going to change. Rygdea gave me away; didn't he?"

Unable to form a coherent thought, let alone an intelligent sentence, she simply nodded. Was this realy Hope, the scared little kid that she had dragged with her into the Pulse Vestige? "I think I'll leave you two kids alone, for a bit. Hurt her and I'll kill ya," she warned, starting to walk away with Rygdea.

"Fang, wait!"

"There's not a lot of people I'd trust; if he chose to be here, then it means he's definitely interested." Waving, she left them alone, Vanille slightly terrified.

"Vanille," he softly spoke, reaching for her hand. "Relax... It's me."

_You were just a kid..._ she thought.

"What's still left to do?"

He was choosing neutral ground, something to help her relax. They had a lot of catching up to do, and knowing what she had gone through, was more than enough reason to give her a little time to understand that she wasn't to blame for what had happened to him. "There's still some streamers to put up."

Hand in front of his chest, he bowed, Vanille once again turning bright red. Was he really interested in her? Vanille could barely conceptulize that someone might wait several hundred years to see her again, let alone make miracles happen. Hope was always the smart one of the group, preferring technology over blind faith to something that didn't care if humans lived or died.

* * *

><p>"Relax..." Rygdea told her. "Other than that female Soldier, Vanille is all he thinks about."<p>

"It's hard to let go when you've watched over someone for so long."

"He won't hurt her, not after everything he went through to get her back."

"I know. Hope, of all people, knows how to appreciate the ones you love while you have them."


	24. Saving The Enemy

Saving the Enemy

* * *

><p>All he remembered from the time he was nine, was traveling from city-to-city, rarely seeing his father or his home. At first he had resented the constant moving around, but after awhile, when he saw the sadness in his mother grow, he no longer welcomed those few visits. His mother and father would say a few words, and then they were once again on the run. He had no idea what his mother and father spoke about when they saw each other, only that she would become agitated and glance in his direction before going on the run again. There were other things that he had noticed over the years; for instance, the lack of pictures in his home. It was like one day, they were gone, leaving only those of his mother, father, and himself. Anything else, like cousins, aunts or uncles vanished and to say anything received a quick and severe reprimand from his mother. After awhile, he just quit asking, but that didn't mean he didn't think about it.<p>

He did have two cousins, one about his age, the other six years older. Their names were a mystery to him, and it was pointless to ask either of his parents. However, it was about the time the pictures vanished that his mother had decided to stay on the move and quit her job with the government. He had no idea what she had done with the Sanctum, or why she tended to avoid PSICOM enforcers and trackers. On his 15th birthday, he recalled that his mother had desperately wanted to go home, but he had convinced her to take him to Bodhum instead, the yearly fireworks famous across Cocoon.

People didn't really remember the reasons why they had the yearly celebration anymore, only that it marked the end of the War of Transgression. The reasons of how or why it had started were known only to those in the military, and even with them the knowledge was limited. The day before the fireworks had started was like any other morning, but that had all changed when his mother bumped into someone, a young woman with slight pink hair, and blue eyes, a gun blade on her hip. Hope remembered her only because of the severe expression on her face, the coldness in her gaze as she glanced first at his mother and then at him.

Without muttering an apology, she moved on, not bothering to see if his mother was okay. It was like she had already forgotten them, but instead of his mother doing the same, she continued to stare after her, long after the woman had disappeared from her site. "Mom?" he asked. Startled, she snapped herself out of her daze and gave him a weak smile, her complexion pale. "Did you know her?"

"No." She had said it too quickly, and Hope knew better than to press the issue. His mother had once again stated her desire to return home, and only after hours of badgering her, did she finally relent and agree to let him stay just long enough to see the fireworks. The following morning, what should have been a happy occasion, seemed to only agitate his mother even more. PSICOM Soldiers had taken up a heavy presence in Bodhum, armed to the teeth, and stationed at every main exit and entry point throughout the city.

Even if she had wanted, PSICOM had specific orders to not let anyone leave or enter the city. However, not wanting to interact with them, she kept them inside their room most of the day, waiting for the festivities to start before braving the outdoors. Why was his mother so afraid of PSICOM? She kept glancing back and forth between them and Hope, her eyes also searching for someone she never found. At least not until later that evening.

Hope easily spotted the Soldier further away from the crowds, her gaze focused on the fireworks. If his mother had spotted her, she didn't let on, but Hope studied every detail about her. Unlike the day before, her expression seemed distant, almost regretful. If he didn't know better, he'd have said that she reminded him of his mother, the expression, the sadness in her eyes, and the way she held herself apart from everyone. She wasn't alone for long, another Soldier coming up beside her. Judging from the way she greeted and saluted him, Hope figured him a superior.

The man didn't seem upset with Lightning, but she seemed on guard, even slightly afraid of him. Rather than smile at his joking demeanor, she maintained an air of neutrality, eventually both of them going back to staring up at the fireworks display. When she thought no one was watching her, that same expression fell back over her, and he almost felt sorry for her. What would make her act that way, and he started to wonder if his mother was like her? His mother might have been a Soldier once, but he couldn't remember if it was as part of the Guardian Corps, or PSICOM.

Hope had thought the heavy presence of PSICOM was because of the fireworks, as a way to help the Corps maintain the peace, but things went from tense to worse the following morning. The moment his mother had turned on the television, she had gone into a panic, packing their things, to only find themselves trapped inside of Bodhum.

* * *

><p>None of that was really important now; only that if he had listened to his mother and gone home rather than throwing a tantrum, she'd still be alive, and he wouldn't be following Vanille through a fal'Cie Vestige. He missed his mother terribly, and sometimes he wanted to rush back to the train, only to remember he'd never feel her loving embrace ever again. Gone were her stories and her gentle touch before he fell asleep at night. How did you go on after losing the most important person in your life? What was Vanille's story? Did she have anyone? He couldn't recall if there had been an adult with her, but the way she seemed to carry herself and that staff, told him she was use to doing things by herself and without an adult figure telling her what to do.<p>

Hope wasn't thrilled with the idea of walking freely around the Vestige, but he'd rather chance running into a fal'Cie than face his own guilt and anger towards Snow. Deep down, he knew Snow had done everything possible to save his mother, but he still resented the fact that he had come back and she had not. Why the hell had she taken up arms against PSICOM? Couldn't she have just stayed back? And yet, he also knew that it had been her critical blow that had kept PSICOM at bay for a little while longer, preventing them from attacking the unarmed civilians back at the train.

Like most of his life, his mother had made choices that didn't take into consideration his feelings or needs. Now he had no mother, and the likelihood of him ever getting home to his father seemed to grow slimmer and slimmer. He hated violence, but he had little choice in the matter if he didn't want to find himself torn to shreds by one of the PSICOM bio-weapons. The way Hope saw it, he had one of two options: stay where he was and face Snow, or go with Vanille and hope they'd find an exit soon.

Little did Hope know, Vanille had no intentions of leaving the Vestige, at least not until she had found a way back to Pulse, or her fighting companion. Vanille's tie to Fang was complicated, their friendship sometimes strained to the limits. Vanille, if given a choice, would have never gotten heavily involved with the War, but Fang wasn't one to go down without a fight. In the end however, what had happened to Fang had left her completely shattered, with no will left to continue on with her Focus. She'd rather turn into a Cie'th than hurt another soul. Still, she had to get away, to distance herself from being able to hurt anyone ever again.

After waking and realizing that Fang had forgotten her Focus and what had happened to her, Vanille chose to pretend forgetfulness as well. If Fang let on that she knew something was off, she didn't have time to question her. How were they on Cocoon; somehow tied to the madness that was taking place around her? All she wanted, was a way to make it home, to see her homeland one last time before turning Cie'th. Her memories just before turning to crystal had been horrendous, and just thinking about it made her almost want to curl into a tiny ball and cry in anguish.

Making their way along another series of long stairs, Hoped noticed that the Pantherons didn't follow them down a particular corridor, withdrawing and turning back around to guard the doorways. If he hadn't been consumed with his own thoughts of grief and rage, he might have thought their behavior odd and a need for concern. On the other side of the platform, they entered a wide-opened room, what Vanille would have referred to as the Oblatorium. Everywhere around him, Hope spotted intricately designed columns and skylights. This was nothing like he had ever seen before, and he stared at the place in opened mouth astonishment. For just that brief moment, he forgot his fear, his pain, his anger, and simply reveled in the beauty the place presented. "Whoa," he gasped, his eyes wide, trying and failing to take it all in.

Vanille had once thought the same thing, and for the better part of a year, this place had been her home. All Soldiers of Pulse lived inside of this place, eating, sleeping, and deploying to engage the enemy outside. To Vanille, it felt like coming home after a long time away, but their thoughts of nostalgia and wonderment came to a quick halt at the sound of a loud roar.

Until now, Vanille had maintained a small shred of hope that others might have survived the War of Transgression, but what she saw coming through the doors made her heart sink in sorrow. Unlike Hope, she knew exactly what these things were, and she briefly wondered if one of them might have been Fang. It didn't really matter. Once one turned into a Cie'th, there was no chance of turning back. The only hope a Cie'th had at that point, was if someone was around to end their cursed existence. Other than dying by natural causes, a Cie'th did not age or get sick. The only thing that might release a Cie'th was if their anger died down, and they grew tired; once again going through a final transformation. A Cie'th's final transformation took the form of a Cie'th stone, where the l'Cie would call out for someone to complete their Focus and set them free from their cursed existence.

Hope stared in horror at the hideous things, but Vanille seemed sad, not afraid. They had rotting flesh, with ruby clawed hands, and each roar, was like a cry of agony or rage. Turning to head back the other way, Hope spotted more of them, as if walking into this place had woken them up. "What are they?" he shouted, backing up. His back pressed against Vanille's, and he wasn't surprised to see her staff out, her body trembling slightly. He mistook her sorrow for fear, and a part of her was. What if one of these things was her friend, Fang? She didn't want to kill the only family she had left, Fang more like a sister to her than a friend, but what choices did she have? Both had a made a promise a long time ago, that if either turned into a Cie'th, the other would honor their friendship and end it right then and there.

Why were there so many though? And then she remembered. Upon awakening on the Vestige, several Soldiers had surrounded them. Had the fal'Cie marked them? How had they turned so fast? She had heard of people turning after a few months, but not like this. How one turned into a Cie'th had always been an unknown to a l'Cie, but as long as one seemed to maintain hope and continued working towards his or her Focus, they didn't turn.

Hope, his heart in his throat, had no idea what to do. Fighting Sanctum Soldiers and their bio-weapons was one thing, but these definitely did not belong to the Sanctum or PSICOM. Even in school, he heard little mention of anything from Pulse, especially monsters like this. Watching the things close in on them, he wished once again his anger hadn't gotten the better of him. He could have gotten over his anger with Snow, even come to terms with how his mother had died, but he was in no way prepared to fight something like this, and neither was Vanille apparently. They might take out one or two, but the sheer numbers would over power them, and they had no where to run.

Vanille, normally very hesitant about revealing her knowledge of Pulse artifacts or monsters, didn't hesitate to answer. His fear would keep him from recalling that she knew more than she was letting on, or they wouldn't live long enough for him to ask later. "Cie'th! L'Cie who failed!"

What the hell was a Cie'th? And what did she mean by failing? He didn't have to ask when she answered his unspoken question. "This is what happens when l'Cie don't complete the Focus the fal'Cie gave them." Vanille shed a tear for them, horrified that so many had turned. She wished she had the power to turn them back, but that was way beyond her ability. She wondered if the fal'Cie could do it, and bracing for the end, the last thing either of them expected was a rescue. Roaring over the Cie'th, the Para-military Commander rolled beneath the Cie'th, knocking them to the ground and out of the way.

Snow, without thinking, herded both children behind him, pushing them as close to the edge as his larger frame could without knocking them over. Not even Hope was arguing about the man's presence, not at the moment. Unlike the two teenagers, Snow had power and strength on his side, but it was the look in his eyes that made Hope wonder who the more dangerous adversary was. It was that same look he had seen in that woman, the one from Bodhum. His blue eyes were as cold as ice, filled with rage and determination.

Sometimes, he hated his need to protect others, but in order to keep his promise to that woman, he had no choice, but to attempt keeping these kids alive. However, with the way his luck had been going that morning, he had his doubts about that. He had no idea how or why the children were here, and if they were from the train, Gadot had some serious explaining to do. Was the boy the woman's child? He'd have to contemplate that answer later.

"Let's even these odds," he roared furiously. He was tired of people dying, he was tired of making promises only to break them. What he hadn't counted on were the two children to take up positions to his left and right. The boy looked a bit green in the face, but the girl seemed more than willingly to battle these things, her expression set with a grim resolve.

He had little choice but to let them help. By himself, he'd have a difficult time fighting and protecting the kids, but he didn't want them hurt either. There were so many of them; had he stirred them to action by activating all the control devices, or did the kids do it inadvertently? One-by-one, the monsters fell, and as long as they kept their backs pressed to each other, each fighting a monster on his or her side, it was impossible for them to get close enough without hitting themselves.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of heavy fighting, sweat running down their faces and backs, they were able to take a rest. Relieved, but still furious, Snow turned on the kids, anger flashing in his eyes. Not to his surprise, the boy had fallen to his knees, clearly shaken up and aware of how close to death they were, but the girl simply shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sheepish smile.

The boy hadn't been the one to instigate them being here, that much Snow was certain of; however, whether they were refugees from Gadot's train, or survivors from another was not. "How did you get in here?" he demanded. "You've gotta leave." It wasn't a request either, and Vanille was struggling to find a way to defy him without him discovering what she was. Glancing at Hope, she realized he'd not help her. He still wasn't willing to talk, and her only option was pretending childlike ignorance. It had worked up to this point, and she had no reason to believe that it wouldn't work now.

Glancing around, he realized the dilemma he was in. If he left them alone, the possibility of them running into more monsters was extremely high and very dangerous. However, he had yet to find Serah or Lightning, and he hadn't come this far to simply abandon them to a PSICOM air strike. That left him very few options; "Okay, listen. Find someplace to hide and keep quiet." As much as he wanted and needed them to get out of here, he didn't trust that they'd make it out alive without him. "Once I find Serah, we'll all leave together."

He kept quiet about Lightning, refusing to give out more information than he needed. Too many, especially PSICOM, were interested in her, and the less people knew about her or her location, the better. Having just cleared the platform, he was certain the kids would be safe here, and walking around them, he gave them a thumbs up.

Snow had just come from the same direction the kids had, leaving him only one option to go. Trying to lighten up the mood, he smiled; "You'll be home in time for dinner." Snow doubted it, but children often needed to hear the impossible, to help them forget about the possibility of dying. He had no idea why he even cared really. These kids weren't his responsibility, and yet, he felt a strong compulsion to protect them as he had the purge deportees. Why couldn't his life be simple, right or wrong, kill or be killed? And yet it wasn't. Without someone like him, people would fall prey to entities like the Sanctum and PSICOM; people like Lightning.

"You-" Hope hissed in rage. It was this kind of reckless behavior that had gotten his mother and so many others killed. He knew Snow had no reason to stay, but he wasn't even sticking around to find out if they were going to be okay or not.

"Wait!" Vanille cried out. Had she been so wrong about Snow, that she had so easily dismissed him as a possible ally? Snow didn't even know them, and yet he had gone out of his way to save their lives. The same had been with Hope's mother, and she doubted seriously he'd harm her just because of what or who she was. "Who's Serah?" she quietly asked.

He almost said his future wife, but that was a lie, one he had thought might work on PSICOM. There was no point in false pretenses any longer, having hurt enough people with them, to include the one other person he had come here to find. "It's complicated," he finally conceded. "Let's just say that I police up my own and I refuse to give her to PSICOM or the fal'Cie."

"I don't understand," she said, urging him to continue. She saw the conflict in his blue gaze, whether or not to trust her, but considering what they had already faced, he didn't see any reason to deny her the answer.

"She's a Pulse l'Cie," he admitted. "A few days ago, she accidentally found herself inside of this thing, and... well..." Snow shrugged, unable to explain why it was so important for him to be the one to do this.

Her hands flying to her mouth, another wave of guilt washed over her, but for an entirely different reason. She couldn't be... Vanille more than anyone else, fully understood the pain this man was suffering. She had seen it too often, on Pulse when one was chosen. They had no further ties with loved ones or friends. For him to stand by Serah, to fight against all odds to save her, spoke volumes, and it amazed her that he too hadn't been marked as a l'Cie. She reminded him of the protectors, but she hadn't seen or met one in a very long time. Fang said his type was rare, so rare that if one was found, all efforts were made to keep them alive or from turning. Often, they did turn though, mostly because they selflessly sacrificed their own happiness and well being for everyone else.

Fang was wrong; the people of Cocoon weren't evil monsters. They were just like them, innocent people caught up in a war none of them understood. Why had a Pulse fal'Cie marked these people? This man, instead of leaving Serah to face her Focus or turn, he was risking everything to get to her. He didn't even have any real power of his own. Hope had no idea how special Snow was, or that he was truly before a Hero that would continuously suffer great losses and sorrow as a result of the kind of person he was. "She's here somewhere, along with that fal'Cie. I've gotta find her and set her free." What he didn't tell them was that he might have to deliver her lifeless body back to her sister, and right now, Snow had no idea if he had that kind of courage.

Still blind with his own hatred and fear of the fal'Cie, Hope exploded in a rage. "What's wrong with you? Why do you want to help a l'Cie? They're the enemy!" Snow knew the boy had reason to fear them, but Hope had also never met someone he truly cared about that had been marked by a fal'Cie either. Sure, the Sanctum told them the old stories, the ones about the War of Transgression between Pulse and Cocoon. However, one look into Serah's eyes, the fear and tears that shook her entire being, he knew she'd never willingly harm the people of Cocoon. It was also apparent, that people had no idea what the l'Cie were or weren't, having fallen into myths and legends. "How can you save a l'Cie and not..." Hope almost told him, but the memories of his mother falling made it hard to breathe. "And not... That's insane!"

He couldn't argue that point either, a sad smile appearing on his bearded face. Vanille noted that he looked very tired and alone, as if he realized his choices had gotten people hurt and killed. And yet he wasn't giving up. "Probably," he agreed, scratching the back of his head. "But I gotta do something right?" The point was, Snow had no idea what he had the ability to do any longer. Everything had gone from bad, to hopeful, to despair so quickly that his head had yet to stop spinning from it all.

Hope's outburst didn't seem to phase him at all, and he chose that moment to continue on his task. He had to hope they'd be okay. "I'll be back," he whispered, not sure if they'd make it or not.

Vanille hesitated, as if she wanted to go with him. How did you tell someone there was no way of reversing the l'Cie curse without completing it? If Serah failed, she'd turn into a Cie'th, just like the ones they had just killed. "Should we wait around for him, and hitch a ride?"

If Snow did manage to save Serah, Vanille was positive he wouldn't return to the battlefield, not with the Sanctum wanting to purge anything Pulse related. If Vanille was careful, she might be able to convince him to take them to Pulse and out of the Sanctum's reach. "I'd rather go to Pulse! Why is this happening to me? When they found the fal'Cie the other day, we were just visiting Bodhum."

Vanille, at that moment, truly felt shame for convincing Hope to come along with her. He was hurting so much, and instead of considering his feelings, she had used him just like the Sanctum had used Bodhum. Cocoon people were no different than those from Pulse, both sides so afraid of the other. "But the army took us," he continued. "Threw us on that train... And because of that guy, Mom is-"

She felt so much pain from both of them, one searching for a way to keep going, hoping against hope, while the other struggled to make sense of the war he had been thrust into. Snow, intent on finding Serah, found himself slowing, plagued with guilt. They were children, with no real way to fend off a large group of those monsters, and he already knew that the entire purpose of NORA was to protect them. Serah would have told him to go back, regardless of what might happen to her.

"Probably shouldn't leave them alone," he told himself, as if Serah would hear and understand. More than likely Lightning would say the same thing, if not beat him into submission until he conceded and went back. It was the right thing to do, and once again, he chose the path of the many over the path of the few.

Hope covered his face, tears in his eyes; "And he wants to help a l'Cie?"

Vanille wish she had a way to make him understand, but how did she tell Hope that l'Cie were human, just as frightened of the unknown as anyone else? Most never asked for the mark, or the Focus, but they were bound to it, just as Bodhum was bound for exile and a war none of them had asked for. In reality, no one had control over what fate decreed, at least that's what she had once thought. In Fang and her case, that wasn't quite true, but they also hadn't realized the lies being told to them at the time.

To her surprise, Snow came back, a sheepish look on his face. It was then that she realized his kind heart, that he more than anyone would understand or at least accept her. "Hey again." What kind of man chose to go against his own fear, to protect a l'Cie when everyone else would have killed them on site? She wanted to ask him, but found herself too afraid.

"Hey," she shyly answered back. Turning, she knelt, very ashamed of herself. She should have never taken advantage of this boy, and in doing so, she had become no better than the Sanctum. To make things right, she took his hands, and gently spoke to him. All of this time, she had only been thinking of herself, but no more. Even since she had woken up, she had been avoiding what was necessary, and in the process, more and more innocent people were being hurt as a result. If she hadn't wanted anymore people to die, she should have just stayed inside the Vestige and drove a dagger or something into her own heart. What was done was done, and all she could was move forward and hope to right the terrible wrongs she had caused in the past two weeks. "Let's go with him."

Perhaps it was possible; if this man was going to help Serah, maybe he'd help her as well, before it was too late. "What?" Hope asked in surprise.

"You've gotta talk to him, Hope," she implored, hoping to reach past his blind rage and grief. "If you don't take this chance, you'll regret it forever." Gone was her innocent smile and laugh, replaced with a seriousness that left Hope breathless. What had made her so sad, that she would try to make him push aside what he was feeling? He wanted to do anything she asked, just to see her smile again.

"Okay," he agreed, his eyes locked with hers.

"Let's go!" Snow encouraged, the two children close behind. Did they really have a choice? If they stayed, they stood a good chance of running into the Cie'th, and three of them stood a better chance of making it out.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, roaming about the lower parts of the Vestige, Sazh had watched a gradual and dramatic change fall over Lightning. She still hacked through her opponents as if they were no more than an annoyance. The severe expression had gone from her face, replaced with remorse and sorrow. Was she having second thoughts about betraying PSICOM and the Sanctum? "What's gotten into you Soldier? I thought you came for a fight?" Ever since the barrier had dropped, she had been more sullen than usual, her steps almost sluggish.<p>

Why was this woman in the military to begin with? She obviously hated them. Rather than attending college, chasing after young men, here she was fighting through an entire army to get to something most people would have turned the other way, running away as if their very lives depended on it. At that moment, she was just like the other citizens of Bodhum, swept up in a time of change and chaos. "My sister..." Her voice had been so quiet, he almost didn't realize she had answered until she had come to a slow halt, her back facing him.

Everything they had discussed that day had always been military related, and the last thing he expected was her to bring up something personal like family. "Your sister?" Confused and not understanding the connection, he moved around to look at her face, shocked to see the tears that she refused to shed. Did the woman even know how to cry? They never fell, but they were there none the less, her true feelings very close to the surface.

"She's a l'Cie." Now was the moment of truth, where he'd finally turn and walk away from her. She didn't expect him to understand, nor would she blame him if he decided to make his own future after this, with or without her help.

"What?" he gasped. That had been her first reaction as well, one of disbelief. No one wanted to admit that they could possibly find themselves a fal'Cie slave, and it was her very own sister. "A Pulse l'Cie?"

She nodded, her eyes filled with so much grief and guilt. Glancing at him from her side vision, she was shocked that he hadn't taken off yet. Why wasn't he abandoning her? It wasn't like they were close friends, but he wasn't pulling a gun on her either. "The fal'Cie has her captive. But I'll find her." _Snow, please tell me you're still alive and searching for her. _She'd never admit that she was relying on him, that he'd keep the only promise that mattered to her. Even if there was no way to rid Serah of the fal'Cie curse, Lightning didn't want anyone else to take her sister's life, to be able to see her one last time, and she knew deep down that Snow would ensure that happened.

"Is she still...?" She started to move forward again, but Sazh stopped her, as if something was driving him to explain and make her understand. "What was her Focus? When she became a l'Cie, what did the fal'Cie order her to do?" For reasons of his own, he needed to know the answer. "It wasn't 'blow up Cocoon' or anything like that, was it?"

"I didn't ask," she whispered, trying not to cry out her shame. If she had only believed Serah, she might have been able to avoid all of this, to pull her out of Bodhum, but just then, a red light pulsed at the top of a set of stairs, the room flooding with hundreds of monsters.

Sazh knew what they were, and he had a feeling she did as well, but her emotional connection to her sister might have her thinking there was a possibility to save her. "Listen to me. When a person gets cursed by a fal'Cie; they become a l'Cie. Then they get given a Focus, right?" She turned her head away; sighing Sazh continued, "How do I put this? If they don't carry it out, l'Cie end up as one of those things." She didn't move, didn't speak, and he wondered if she processed anything he told her. "What I'm saying is, if your sister's gone that far..." Lightning paled, turning her back, her fingers curled into two tight fists. "I mean... she might still.. how can I... ?" With a heavy sigh of reluctance to tell her the truth, "Oh, man. There's no way to turn a l'Cie back into a human. Even if she completes her Focus, there's no changing her fate. She'll live her life as a fal'Cie slave."

Lightning didn't want to hear this, overwhelmed with agonizing rage and loss. Was what he said true? Did anything she did matter? Was there no possible way to free her sister and rid her of the curse? Serah was only 16! "Don't make her suffer." Furious, she slammed her hand against his shoulder hard, making him stumble, but he persisted on making her see the reality of the situation. Why was he telling her all of this? What the hell did he care?

"Just say it!" she screamed at him; "Any l'Cie... anyone who might ever become a l'Cie should be wiped off the face of Cocoon." Sazh tried to ease the pain she was feeling; he more than anyone understood, but there was no changing Serah's fate, or... He refused to think down that path. He had continued following her into the Vestige because of his own revenge, nothing more and nothing less. He hadn't made any delusions that he'd make it out a live once he entered, but it was something other than the guilt and shame he felt from a couple days ago. "It's people like you," she spat, "that started the Purge in the first place!"

Sazh flinched. He had been judging her all day, comparing her to PSICOM, but when forced to take the same pill, he found he didn't like it all that much. He had no ill-will towards the l'Cie, for reasons he didn't care to give her, but he also understood what would happen if they weren't eliminated. If they truly were intended to destroy Cocoon, he really couldn't fault the Sanctum for wanting to eliminate the threat.

Going up the stairs, they found themselves faced with Cie'th after Cie'th, none of them even remotely human anymore. Did they even remember their lives before? Did they live with regret and fear? The only consolation she could offer these souls was an end to their horrifying existence, to release them from the fal'Cie curse. Living by the sword was the only thing she truly understood anymore, having lost site of who or what she was the day her parents died.

As her blade cut through their flesh, she cringed, wondering if the one she dropped was her sister, or another innocent just like her. Each life she took, only fueled her deep hatred of the fal'Cie, wondering how they'd so simply throw away a life like this, to enslave another's will, and to punish them for failing or defying his or her focus. She didn't have the same protective instincts as Snow, but she did her best by simply doing what she knew, fighting and killing. If ending their lives protected them from existing forever as a monster, then she did so without hesitation. She didn't consider turning into a crystal any better of an option. What good was it to turn into a crystal, to sleep years and years away if you woke up to find everything and everyone you loved gone? It was just another form of death to her.

* * *

><p>Lightning and Sazh had been fighting for several hours, and as much as she knew they needed to stop to recoup, time wasn't on their side any longer. Each monster she took out, meant more time lost. Tired, her muscles aching from hours of lifting and swinging her gun blade, they at last came to an elevator at the top of another flight of stairs. She started to wonder if that was all this place was, a series of stairs that continued to climb. To her dismay, there was yet another flight of them, but what she hadn't expected was someone at the top, lying on the ground. She was slender in build, and Lightning knew that pink hair anywhere. Serah, despite having become a l'Cie and an enemy of Cocoon, was extremely thin and pale.<p>

As Lightning had fought Cie'th after Cie'th, she truly had started to believe that her sister had become one of them. Overwhelmed at seeing her still human, and heedless of the danger she was in, rushed up to her sister, gathering her up close. "Serah!"

Nearly two days had passed since Serah had been taken from her, her clothes wrinkled, and scratches still on her arms and legs from the shrapnel bullets PSICOM had used at trying to gun her down. Lightning struggled to maintain control of her chaotic emotions; rage and fear swirling inside like a storm. She'd never rest until PSICOM had paid for this. The mark her sister had tried to hide was as plain as day, but something was different about it; it had an angry-red eye in the center. _Do fal'Cie marks change? _Having lost so much weight, it was easy for Lightning to lift her younger sister and carry her like a child, but the last person she expected to bar her way, was the very man that had faced every adversary with her since they had escaped the train.

"Time to go," she told him. This couldn't be happening; he knew that she had come for Serah, but he had also told her that once a l'Cie always a l'Cie and the only kindness they could do for them was to end their lives before they turned to crystal or a monster. "We have to leave before the army-" Still refusing to move from her path, her eyes hardened, and her grip on her sister tightened. Unless she put Serah down, she had no way to keep Sazh or anyone else from hurting her. "What?"

Sazh's gaze was on her sister's arm, focused on the cursed marked. "That's a Pulse brand," he told her. What did he say to convince Lightning that there was no saving this girl. "That girl's a l'Cie." Sazh really didn't want to kill someone from Cocoon, but what alternatives did he have, if he wanted to save...

"I already told you that," she hissed in fury. Did they fight too many PSICOM and Cie'th that he was suddenly acting like an idiot, or was he intentionally trying to make an enemy out of her? Watching as his hands slid to his pistols, she turned, using her body to shield Serah. She'd die before she allow anyone to kill her sister. If anyone reserved that right, it was Snow or herself, not this man that she had only met this morning.

"Pulse l'Cie are the enemies of Cocoon."

"So they should die?" she demanded desperately, wanting him to understand. Yes, Serah had become a Pulse l'Cie, and yes, they had been taught for a very long time that anything Pulse related was to be feared and hated. However, she had known and cared for Serah her entire life, sacrificed everything for her, and she knew without a shadow of doubt that Serah wasn't the enemy PSICOM and the Sanctum were making her out to be. She'd never try to destroy Cocoon. Why couldn't anyone see or understand that?

"Listen," he tried to explain, his voice soft and gentle. Sazh understood all too well what she was going through; he'd do the same if it was him holding his son. However, he needed to do what was necessary, even if she couldn't see that. "If she fails her Focus, you know how that'll end."

_We don't even know what her Focus is; and we're wanting to condemn her before she's had a chance to figure it out? What if we're wrong and it has nothing to do with Cocoon? _"And killing her is a mercy?" she shouted at him. _Never!_ Her entire body was braced to shield Serah, determined to save her no matter what it cost her, even her own life. A feather light touch brushed against her cheek, startling her from their heated argument. Glancing down, she could only stare at a set of blue eyes, filled with exhaustion, but surprised pleasure.

After everything she had said, all the years she had spent separated from her sister, Serah still managed to smile at her. She felt the tears threatening to fall, but Lightning had trained herself a long time ago to never allow it. It didn't make the pain any easier, however. She had to hold it together, just long enough to say good-bye. Serah was dying; any idiot could see that. She had somehow become so incredibly weak, and whether or not she finished her focus didn't seem to be a problem any longer. She was going to die in this place, but not without her sister holding her close.

Sazh, also seeing this lowered his weapon. How could he deny her this when he would have wanted a final moment with his son as well? Very gently, Lightning put her down on the ground, Serah resting her head in Lightning's lap. It was just like when she was younger, looking to Lightning when she lacked a real mother. That had never been her, but Lightning had tried the best she could.

It was that exact moment she heard a voice cry out, and her head jerked up in relief. "Serah!" Regardless of how she had felt towards him before all of this had started, he needed to be here. A spark lit up Serah's eyes, but it wasn't enough to save her. One glance at Lightning, a shake of her head, and Snow knelt down beside her, taking Serah's smaller hand into his larger ones.

* * *

><p>He had no idea how he had managed to find both of them in the same location, but he didn't complain as he rushed up to them. From the way Lightning was holding Serah, he knew it wasn't good. Lightning looked pale and exhausted, her arms shaking from hours of fighting, but he chose not to say anything about that. He knew that there had been two trains, and though Gadot had told him she had saved their lives on his train, he still found himself in a state of shock seeing her. Who was the guy next to her? Gadot hadn't mentioned her having a companion, and Lightning wasn't the type to accept help.<p>

Snow refused to believe that the Sanctum would just let her quit the Corps without retaliating, but he had to think about that later as well. First things first, he had to figure out why Serah was dying and how to help her. Her eyes missed nothing, spotting the two children stepping off the elevator and joining them. If looks could kill, he sure would have been dead with the way she glared at him.

Did he have no standards? Recruiting Serah had been bad enough, but the oldest teenager with him couldn't be older than 19, the youngest one maybe 15. The boy was as green as they get, terrified and bratty. If he needed help, why hadn't he brought one of the other NORA operatives, like Lebreau or Gadot? Sazh, having experienced her wrath from earlier, backed away, picking up on her barely contained rage. The, 'I don't give a damn about anyone' Soldier girl definitely gave a damn about this guy, and it wasn't necessarily hatred.

As much as he preferred this side of her, at least compared to her cool indifferent one, Snow needed to wait to have their little confrontation. It was bound to happen, and he realized that where Serah was concerned, it was going to happen sooner than later. "Serah," he quietly spoke, surprised to find it wavering a bit. After everything that had happened, he realized this was going to be the breaking point if Serah died.

Lightning, hearing the pain in his voice, felt her anger fade a bit. Perhaps she had been wrong; did Snow love her? Serah gave him a strained smile, her eyes flying to her supposed boyfriend. "Is that... my hero?" she joked. It was so hard to hear her, both of them leaning in closer to catch every word.

Serah couldn't believe Snow or Lightning had made it. As the hours passed, and hearing the heavy fighting going on outside the Vestige, she had started to lose hope that she'd see either one of them before she completed her Focus or died. She had so little energy left, having had no water or food since the fal'Cie had taken her. How had they made it past all the Cie'th? Her vision blurred, and it took all her strength to remain conscious.

As much as she wanted to be the one to take Serah out of here, she really didn't have the right. Snow had been the one there for her, and he had been the one to stand at her side after all the cruel things she had said the day before. Why was she looking at him as if he truly were a hero? Had she been out of Serah's life so long that she no longer thought she could count on her?

"Let's get you out of here," he gently told her.

"Hands off, Snow. I'm taking her home!"

"What home?" he snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously. It took her completely off guard. This was not the same man she had thought he was... He couldn't be the same Snow, the idiot that was always spouting off nonsense. Sighing in frustration, "Light, look-"

"I'm not giving her to you!" she raged, trying with everything she had not to cry. He had to admit, she was probably the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered, angry or not. The entire boyfriend and girlfriend thing had been an act to get a rise out of her, but the joke had gone too far. No one had ever dared to talk to him the way Lightning did, and she most definitely didn't act like she feared him. "You couldn't protect her! It's your fault she-" Hope had said almost the exact same thing.

Snow nearly went off on her; where the hell did she get off placing all the blame on him? If she had simply listened to them in the damn first place, stayed home more... instead the moment he stepped outside of Lightning's house, a PSCIOM hit squad had come after them, everything else an afterthought.

Serah heard her sister's pain, but most of all, she saw the hurt in Lightning's gaze that Snow's presence had caused. It wasn't the fact that Snow and herself had decided to pretend being a couple, but the fact that Lightning had feelings for him she had yet to comprehend or realize. Did Lightning even know what it was like to love someone? Serah knew without hesitation that Snow wasn't the one, at least not for herself. No, he belonged with her sister, feeling a strange connection between them, how she had no idea.

Ever since the death of her parents, Lightning had always relied on herself. She wished her sister had told her the truth behind it all, and it had something to do with the Sanctum. None of that mattered though, not now. Lightning not only needed Snow, but had no idea how to ask for his help or embrace it. She recoiled from all forms of affection or love, so terrified that if she allowed it into her life, it'd disappear, just like her parents. Serah wanted to know why Lightning woke in the night, screaming, drenched in sweat.

Sometimes... when Lightning thought no one was looking, she'd shake in a corner of her room for a very long time, but the mask would be back once she joined her sister for breakfast. Once her training had begun, Serah saw less and less of her, and each time, more of the old Lightning had been buried completely. It wasn't Serah that needed saving, but Lightning, not from monsters, PSICOM, or the fal'Cie... but from herself.

"You can save us," Serah begged her, cutting her off. It was the only thing that would and could reach Lightning at this point, and they were looking at her, their argument forgotten. That gave her hope, but she was running out of time. As she had laid here, slipping closer and closer to unconsciousness, she still had no idea what her Focus was, but she had to believe that it wasn't to destroy her home. She needed to give Light and Snow something to get them through losing her, to help Lightning to rely on Snow, or all of Cocoon would suffer. What ever the Sanctum had done to her, Lightning was now the answer to correcting the balance between Pulse and Cocoon.

"Serah?"

"You can save us," she repeated, needing her to believe. It wasn't going to be easy, and she had a strong feeling Snow would never give up until she did. He was that stubborn, and once he set his mind to something, he wasn't going to waver. "Protect us all. Save... Cocoon."

What did she mean? Was Cocoon in danger? Wasn't Pulse fal'Cie supposed to hate anything from Cocoon? Why would it want them to save it? Unless the threat towards Pulse had never been Cocoon in the first place, but the entity controlling everything on it.

"Save Cocoon?" Lightning asked her in disbelief. Serah started to lose consciousness. "Serah? That was your Focus?"

She wasn't responding, her life energy so weak; Lightning was going to lose her! Not even Snow could prevent this, and she felt herself shattering into a million pieces.

Feeling the same desperation as Lightning, he held onto Serah's hand tighter. "Anything, I'll do anything. Leave it to me- you'll see. I'll protect Cocoon! I'll save everyone!" He just wish he had the ability to save Serah. Watching her like shattered something deep inside of him, and he had no idea what he'd do if she died in this awful place. He had sworn to protect all the children of Bodhum, and he was failing yet again. How many more people did he have to lose before he kept even a single promise? Perhaps, he might start with shaking some sense into Lightning, wanting her to see that this was far from his fault.

"Somehow, I'll make things right," he heard Lightning say. It wasn't what he had expected from her. Was it possible that Lightning did care? He didn't want to think about it right now.

"You just relax," he told Serah. The last thing Serah needed was to see them fighting.

"Thank you," she smiled and her eyes closed just as the room exploded in a blue light.

"Serah!" Lightning cried out, her sister being pulled from her arms. Before their eyes, she began to crystallize, her hands folding in front of her face, soft blue lights floating around them. A single crystal tear fell into Snow's palm, and glowing in front of them was Serah, no longer alive nor dead.

"Serah! Serah!" Snow cried out, overwhelmed with guilt. Lightning felt so much agonizing pain, struggling to breathe through it, still unable to cry. She had just lost the only thing that she had given everything up for.

"Why is she turning to crystal?" Vanille spoke. She didn't remember it herself, and if this was what happened to those left behind, she couldn't help but feel so much anguish for these two. It was like watching someone die. They'd never again see her in this life time, and Serah would wake in a completely different time and place, with no friends, and no family to comfort or tell her everything was okay.

"L'Cie who fulfill their focus," Hope explained, "are transformed into crystal and gain eternal life." He had wanted Snow to feel his own pain, but this wasn't what he had had in mind. No one deserved this, especially the woman he had seen in Bodhum that one night. She seemed so broken now, no longer the cool, confident, and indifferent Soldier.

"Just like the stories say," Sazh agreed. They had all heard them, but until now, never witnessed it for themselves. Other than Snow and Lightning, none of them knew Serah, but they could all feel the sorrow in their voices.

Snow watched Serah lower to the floor, "Serah... sweet dreams," he told her.

Shoving Sazh out of her way, she lunged towards Snow, grabbing at his jacket. He was so tall compared to her, she had never really paid attention to this before, but she had always tried to avoid getting this close. The last time had left her unsettled and confused, now being no different. She savagely shoved all those emotions aside, forcing the commander to look at her. "Sweet dreams? She's not sleeping!" she screamed, tears so close, but unable to fall. Her fingers were curled tightly into his jacket, and she wanted to make him face reality instead of living in his stupid dream world of his.

Snow had never seen her like this, not even when Serah had made the announcement of them being a couple; he didn't even think the super Soldier knew how to feel, despite what Serah had told him, but seeing her like this, blues swirling with green specs in them, he could only stare at her with a mixture of awe and a bit of understanding. Serah didn't exactly talk about their childhood, or why Lightning was rarely in her life. "Serah... she's..." Snow almost wanted to wrap his arms around and comfort her, but Lightning wasn't the type to understand or welcome it. "She's..." Furious that he was seeing her in such a state, she shoved away from him, turning her head so he wouldn't see any further emotional outburst from her. She had done the same in her apartment after Serah had told her about the l'Cie curse. What was wrong with her that she could no longer cry, even when a time called for it and no one would have faulted her for it?

He frowned, wanting to find his earlier anger towards her. How was one person so mysterious, and frustrating at the same time? Perhaps he'd never find those answers, not with them trapped inside of the Pulse Vestige, and Serah's body now in crystal form. Walking up behind her, his hot breath on her skin, he tried to reach through her rage and grief; "she's alive!" he growled. All he saw in Lightning's eyes was bitter anger, as if she had already lost Serah, not knowing the legends or believing in them. Why would she? Lightning was a Soldier and this was way beyond her comprehension. She had no trust in her eyes, only bitter resolve and isolation. How did someone become like this? She was only a few years younger than him, and most of the other orphans had banded around him; not Lightning. Where the hell had she been and why hadn't he been able to help or protect her like the others?

He wanted to know what the hell the Sanctum had done to her, and why they wanted her. What had driven Serah to come seeking out NORA for something her older sister had no way of providing? Some might think of this woman as unfeeling, and completely robotic, but standing behind her, watching and listening to her struggle to regain control, he started to understand her just a little more; and yet, he had so many more questions. She violently shook her head, her eyes tightly closed, and her fingers curled into two tight fists. "No." she shouted back, not wanting to believe any more of this! The fal'Cie had taken something precious from her and all she wanted now was revenge, and the pain was so much that it was hard to rationalize anything past losing Serah.

Her eyes were filled with hate and unshed tears, the emotions blending and swirling within her. Unlike Hope, she was capable of doing something with those emotions, and she needed to release them on something or someone. As much as she wanted to beat Snow to a bloody pulp, he wasn't her enemy. The fal'Cie would pay for this...

"The legend! Remember the Legend! L'Cie who fulfill their focus turn to crystal and gain eternal life. It's the same with Serah!" All of them, including Hope looked away, wishing Snow would wake up and face the truth. Serah wasn't coming back to them, and even if the stories were true, none of them would live that long to see it. Hope at least knew what it was like to lose someone important to him, although this was probably far worse than what had happened to his mother. Serah couldn't even die in this stage, trapped in an eternal crystal slumber. Hope would prefer to die. What was eternal life? How long was it?

"Eternal life! She's not dead!" Everyone's eyes avoided him, and he shook with a need for them to believe him! Why was he always the one to believe in miracles?! Would it kill anyone to support him? Why did he always have to stand on his own, especially when he needed them to believe the most? Turning back to Lightning; "Serah's my responsibility," not realizing he was fueling the fire inside of her, giving her something else to focus on other than her guilt and grief; "I promised to keep her safe, and I'm not about to give up now. I don't care how many years I have to wait..."

That was it! Blind with rage, hurt from the lies they had both told to her, she pulled back her fist, and hit him as hard as she could, stunning everyone with her violent explosion. Even Snow seemed a bit taken aback; "It's over!" She shouted. "Open your eyes and face reality! You don't have to pretend to do anything with her anymore, threaten to date or marry her just because I told you no!"

"Serah..." Vanille whimpered, her eyes on the crystal, ignoring the adults fighting. "Does becoming a l'Cie really mean losing everything?" The army forces outside the Vestige took that moment to launch a military strike, shaking the floor and the ceiling. Hope turned over, covering his head, and Snow and Lightning were already moving, covering Serah's body with their own. For someone that believed her sister was gone, she went through a great effort to protect the crystal, as if a small part of her believed what Snow had told her. It was that part of her Snow wanted to reach out to and protect.

It was instinctive on his part, his larger frame shielding both of them, to include Lighting. He had no idea why he bothered, but the unshed tears that wanted to fall wouldn't leave his mind. The last couple of years he had struggled to understand this woman, and all of NORA told him to give it up, that he'd have an easier time getting PSICOM and the inhabitants of Pulse to suddenly make peace after hundreds of years of hostility. To be honest, he hadn't understood Serah either, the girl not like most in trying to get his attention through sexual advances. Outside, hundreds of winged monsters and airplanes fired at the Vestige, a message going out that the Pulse Vestige never existed. This was an end to the Purge, and any threat to Cocoon as far as they were concerned.

Inside, rubble slammed to the floor, and Lighting flinched with each strike against her exposed skin, but she didn't move. Why was Snow attempting to shield her? He had no reason to care for her, and yet she didn't shove at him either, both of them determined to keep Serah as safe as possible. One alone wasn't enough to keep the ceiling from shattering the crystal form of her sister, although Snow made a damn good effort.

"Oh wait!" Sazh cried out.

"What's happening?" Vanille asked.

"The army!"

* * *

><p>Outside the Vestige, with all of Bodhum watching, PSICOM struck, using every bit of fire power to destroy it. "The target is almost in place. Surface team, what is your status?"<p>

"Good to go. Resistance is under control. The assault proceeds as planned," a voice responded.

Higher command responded back immediately. "Leave no trace. The Pulse Vestige never existed."

The parameter that had formed around the Vestige began to shed lights upon the Vestige, leaving nothing to chance as they commenced the attack. This was the final assault to eliminate the Pulse Vestige and make the people of Cocoon forget it ever existed. As the aerial ships above attacked, the ground troops did the same. "Fire!" the commander shouted.

Grappling wires shot into each side, tightened, and began to rip the Vestige to pieces.

* * *

><p>Those same grappling wires barely missed them, and Snow covered the Crystal and Lightning even more. Lightning wanted to shove him off, refusing to need his help, but to do so meant leaving parts of Serah exposed and she'd die before allowing that to happen. She hated how her body and mind reacted to his scent and strength. It happened every damn time, and it definitely was not the place for her chaotic emotions. Before Snow, she had always been in control of them, but never around him.<p>

"What's happening?" Vanille cried out in terror. She had come here, thinking they were going to send the Vestige to Pulse, instead she was watching it fall apart before her eyes.

"Must be a Sanctum strike. Bring down the Vestige and the fal'Cie right with it!" Sazh told them.

Vanille grabbed his hands, panic in her voice and eyes: "Aren't they taking it back to Pulse? That's what the purge was, right?"

"All they cared about was getting everything from Pulse off Cocoon. Dead or alive, it's all the same."

Vanille staggered back, sick with terror. Was Fang still on here? Hope grabbed her wrist; "We can't stay here!" he shouted. She had no idea what to do; she hated herself for bringing him here, to exposing him to this kind of danger, but she had thought they were going to the world below, and thought that if he saw it, he might not be so afraid. "They'll kill us." She stared at the ceiling, and then everything stopped, another portal opening before them.

With determined resolve, Snow took Serah's crystal hand, a grim resolve on his face. "Hold on; I'll be right back." Lightning was so used to his arrogant and stupid ass grin, not this serious side of him. For the first time, she saw the commander in him, why so many willingly followed him into battle. His blue eyes were cold with hate, and it was all directed towards the fal'Cie and the Sanctum. Snow didn't take kindly to anyone hurting one of his Soldiers, especially a child like Serah. Anyone else would have rejected Serah and tossed her out, even killing her on the spot because of the l'Cie curse. Snow had not done that, and had even gone so far as to declare her as his fiancée in order to take focus away from her.

"Trench coat!" Sazh demanded, "Where you going?"

"Date with the fal'Cie," he snapped. "We have some things to talk about."

"What? You're going to ask _it_ to help her..." Perhaps super Soldier needed to hit him again, to try knocking more sense into him. Instead, Lighting followed him, blind with murderous rage. This wasn't Snow's fault, she knew this, and she'd take out her hate on the real responsible party. "Are you out of your mind, kid? That thing wants to chew us up and spit us out!"

Snow spun around, and Lightning blinked in shock. This wasn't the childish man she had thought of him as, but a true leader. He was terrifying, and he wasn't about to take no for an answer, not even from someone that was right and trying to make them see reason. It almost made her respect him, but she quickly shook any thoughts of liking him out of her mind. "Well, what do you want me to do?" he roared, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. At 6'7, he was an intimidating person when pushed to his limits, and none of them were willing to tangle with him, not even Lightning.

Lightning moved past him, her shoulder brushing against him. Snow, stunned that she was moving forward, followed after. "Lightning?" he whispered, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't her style to explain herself, but he had a feeling, she wasn't going to leave here without having it out with the very thing that had taken Serah from them; the fal'Cie.

Sazh should have expected this from her, and with a sigh, he followed. "Here we go." Why couldn't she simply ever walk away? Instead, she had this need to fight and kill things that a normal man would have left alone.


	25. Reflections - Part Thirteen

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Thirteen<strong>

She sat exhausted next to her punching bag, her head resting against the blood covered leather. Despite her current physical condition however, she still sensed when he stepped into her workout area, always aware of her surroundings. One of the things he always found so attractive about her were the eyes, the way green specs seemed to swirl in her other wise blue orbs. Only an idiot would think she was done, Light charging for another round.

Grabbing a medical kit, he walked over to her and knelt, taking each knuckle and putting soothing ointment on each abrasion. If she felt it, she said nothing, her gaze locked onto an empty space in the room. Most people wouldn't have endured as long as he had, but then again, most people didn't understand how close someone can get to the brink of madness with no way to turn back; Snow did. She had brought him back, given him hope again, and he could do nothing less.

Just as he was wrapping the first hand, she exploded with rage, flipping him solidly to his back and placing an arm against his throat. "Light," he warned, sensing the storm, knowing there was no way to avoid it this time.

"Always the hero..." she hissed; "...how can you promise to keep me safe when you've never even been able to best me in battle? I've always wondered who the better fighter was, but always... always... I'm left with out the answer. Opportunity after opportunity passed us by; in the Vestige, Lake Bresha, Pulse... the 'End of Days Celebration...' YOU WERE ASKING ME TO KILL YOU! AND YOU WANT TO PROTECT ME?!

"Light..." he growled, a spark of raw power lashing out. She might have brought him back from becoming a Cie'th, but the power gifted to him remained. One didn't get as old as he was, have the power that he possessed, without reaching limits that surpassed the concept of normal, even for a god. "Prove it," she snapped, her arm nearly choking him. "Prove that you're not just throwing out more empty promises... Bhunivelze has taken everything from me; and I don't have the strength to fight that kind of battle again. Prove it! Prove that you can best me in battle, or I end it right here, right now."

"Wha-?"

"You're the one thing, that if you die, it will destroy any and all my resistance to him! If you can't even beat me; how the hell do you expect me to survive when he destroys you! I CAN'T! I WON'T!"

"Fine..." Gathering all his power, he slammed it into her, watching her fly across the room and against the wall. Not missing a single beat, she was already rushing back, her eyes blazing with equal determination. He didn't have a choice, not if he wanted to keep her, and Light was right. Without taking into consideration what his death might have done to her, he had almost handed her to Bhunivelze on a silver platter. Never again. Light belonged to him, and this was one promise he was going to keep. He just hoped he didn't kill her in the process. In a single burst of energy, they collided, and the very foundation trembled at the intensity of their battle.

Light kept seeing the battle across the Hanging Edge, of losing her sister as she turned to crystal, and all she could think about was how powerless she had felt. She didn't want to lose Snow like that, knowing Bhunivelze would go for him first, her true weakness. It hadn't been Serah... no... it had been this man all along. He either had what it took to defeat her, or she had no choice but to leave in order to save his life. She loved him that much, and it took understanding the fate she was destined for to come to realize that she'd rather live an eternity alone, than lose him and still live an eternity alone.


	26. The Gift of Eternity

The Gift of Eternity

* * *

><p>Lightning wasn't surprised to see more Cie'th ahead of them, but unlike the ones she had fought not minutes before, these were stronger and faster. The flying ones reminded her of the PSICOM Soldiers that used machines to fly, while the big tall guys were like the PSICOM enforcers. It would make sense, the lack of a PSICOM presence. Left behind were the weapons they used, and so many questions remained unanswered. What she didn't understand was how these former Soldiers had been turned into Cie'th so easily, as if never given a chance to complete a focus at all.<p>

What was a fal'Cie's purpose if the ones it marked couldn't complete the tasks given to them? The second thing Lightning noticed was that despite the sheer numbers formed against them, not a single one had touched Serah. Why? Walking beside her was the last person she ever expected to stand in a battle with, but she didn't find herself ungrateful. If anyone had her back, it was Snow, and she didn't have to pay so much attention to whether or not he could hold his own in a fight. On her other side, was Sazh, a man that had proven himself more than worthy enough to continue following her if he so chose.

Snow had trained for years out in the wilds, even if he had never fully considered a military strike to this magnitude. The fact that he had managed to survive this long against a force like PSICOM told her enough, regardless of her personal feelings. Staying just a head of the others, "Light..." he had so much he needed and wanted to say to her, but she simply shook her head, her gaze falling on him. There wasn't a way for her to put into words what she felt inside of herself, but he seemed to understand as he nodded and they continued on in silence, slicing through their enemies with ease.

When they weren't fighting, she thought he might have brushed up against her, and despite her reservations of personal interactions, she found her heart beating a little faster every time. She didn't have time for this, but if she was going to die, she'd go knowing she finally met someone that was more than her match and equal in a fight. In the past, she had never been allowed to consider fighting at his side, but she made a promise then, that if she managed to survive, she'd never allow an entity like PSICOM to control her ever again. Her life was her own, and who she chose to allow in it was also her choice.

Serah turning into a crystal had changed everything, and what none of them realized was that them coming together, despite the odds against it, were the necessary requirements for Serah to complete her Focus. Just one or two of them wouldn't have been enough; no, fate had decreed that these were the ones necessary to restore balance to the two worlds of Cocoon and Pulse alike. The fal'Cie would not survive this day, but it would just long enough to make them the instruments necessary to complete a task started just before the War of Transgression. The fal'Cie had never dreamed that one of the people approaching was the chosen one, the one with the potential to unleash Chaos and bend it to her will.

* * *

><p>Once, a long time ago, Lightning had felt something similar to the feelings she had now. However, unlike when her parents had died, she wasn't a helpless child, but a woman with skill, agility, and enough rage to cut down any enemy before her. The fal'Cie, as the group approached, studied the group curiously. It was a strange pair, the two of them. Snow had the potential of being both a commander and a protector, but his protector side was more dominant, whereas Lightning seemed to focus more on the need to fight as her way of shielding those she cared for.<p>

The fal'Cie felt a flicker of unease about the blond at her side. Yes, she was the chosen one, but there was something unique about him, something older than even the 'Maker'. The fal'Cie's knowledge did not extend past that, but making him a l'Cie along with the Soldier would provide more than enough power to complete the task necessary to return the balance to both worlds. In years past, when the fal'Cie had tried to create this scenario, always a female had been the protector, and the male the warrior. All the more reason the fal'Cie knew that the end of days soon approached and she'd be the one to deliver the world to redemption. There was also an aura about them, as if something connected them in a way it had never encountered before. Other fal'Cie had mentioned a rare few had the ability to mentally connect, but only if they were soul mates prior to becoming a l'Cie. Was that the case with those two? Despite her outward aggression, she had nothing but admiration and respect for Snow; where as Snow wanted nothing more than to prove that she could rely on him, even if he let her fall from time to time.

Snow's need to protect Lightning despite his anger towards her, further confirmed the fal'Cie's suspicion. The NORA, para-military commander wanted her, but decided to win her over without force. Was this what the human creatures called love? The fal'Cie didn't understand it, but that really wasn't its concern. Were these people strong enough to carry out what needed to be done?

With the help of Snow and Sazh, defeating the monsters proved rather simple, at last coming to a small, dark corridor. Other than the tiny specs of light at their feet, they saw no more than a centimeter in front of them. Knowing he'd more than likely not get another chance, he quickly moved closer to her, his hand curling around her arm. At first she tensed, but without knowing where her sword was swinging, she said and did nothing. "I'm sorry."

She sucked in a deep breath, wishing she could see his face. Why would he tell her that now? Rather than release her, he simply pulled her closer to him, his thumb making small, light circles against her skin. She felt like he was branding her, but if she tried to jerk away, she chanced bumping into one of the others and alerting them to what was going on between them. "I kept telling myself that I'd do anything to keep you safe, to spare you more pain than what PSICOM has already done, but I don't think I'll be able to keep that promise. Not this time." It was very rare for him to admit something like that, and her heart ached all over again.

Was it really so close to their own deaths that he'd give into an emotion like despair and hopelessness. "We're not going to die," she hissed venomously. Why the hell had she said that? As if reading her mind, she felt his breath against her left ear, a smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Now who's making empty promises?" he gently taunted, his tone filled with sorrow. Just as she was about to respond, they came to a large open chamber and he pulled away, Lightning feeling at a complete loss. He was supposed to be nothing to her, and yet she already knew that if she lost him just as she had Serah, it would destroy her.

She tried to convince herself that it was because of Serah, that Snow had been one of the last people to see her alive and happy. Lightning knew that was a lie, that wanting him close was her own insecurities rising to the surface. If she allowed herself to care for Snow, she risked losing him just like everyone else she considered important in her life. Was it already too late?

"I'll try to reason with it."

"Why?"

Snow really had no idea, but he felt like it was worth a try. Without anyone seeing him, his fingers brushed against the back of her hand as he moved towards the object on the far side. "So this is... the fal'Cie." It was the boy that had been following Snow, and she wondered how Snow had managed to acquire them? As reckless as he was, these two weren't exactly his first choice for fighting companions. The metal object being a fal'Cie was a good guess, and she almost told the kids to get the hell out. However, with the monsters behind them, they really didn't have any choice except to ride out what ever was going to happen. At first look, it just reminded them of an out dated machine, not blinking or active. Lightning nor Snow had a lot of knowledge when it came to the fal'Cie, only what they had heard as children or read in books.

The fal'Cie decided to wait, already knowing what they were thinking. It had no desire for small talk or negotiations. Rather, it waited for Lightning to make her move. This woman had so much grief in her life, having endured her fair share of the Sanctum's cruelty and lies. The fal'Cie knew he had chosen the right group, all of them connected through this one woman. She would be the catalyst that drove them.

She hated the fal'Cie, but it didn't care, only that she care out its will. Lightning was the one and just as she had her role to play, the fal'Cie had its own to accomplish. Kneeling before it, his arm crossed before him, Snow tried to plead with it. The fal'Cie felt her rising agitation as Snow placed himself in a submissive and vulnerable position, as if both had equal potential to be either a commander and a protector. She simply protected in a different fashion than Snow.

Her fingers began to curl tighter around her gun blade, itching to lash out, but she didn't want anyone to accuse her of not giving Snow the chance to do the peaceful route. Lightning was beyond making peace with the world. So many lies, so much death, and it was in her eyes, the fault of the fal'Cie and the Sanctum. "Serah's a crystal now. You gave her a Focus, and she did it. You got what you want! Now let her go!" There was nothing, and Snow sagged, defeated. "Please. Turn her back!" he begged. _She's just a young kid, _he wanted to tell it. Clutching at his chest, "I'll be a l'Cie instead!" he offered.

The fal'Cie had every intentions of making them a l'Cie, but Serah still played a vital role in all of this. So long as they held on to hope of setting her free, they'd continue to fight the Sanctum, and the very thing that kept Cocoon from freeing these people from their existence. Enraged that Snow would ask such a thing, Lighting had chosen that moment to act. "Fine, you go on begging. Like this thing gives a damn what we want!" She swung the blade down with all her strength, the metal bouncing off, but she readied herself to do it again. Snow watched as she continued to attack again and again, driven with her own shock and grief and she fell back.

Not giving her a chance to hit the ground, his arms quickly circled around her, the commander once again at the forefront of his personality. W_ould he make up his mind?_ Lightning thought. "Lightning," he hissed softly, and she had to look away. She didn't want him trying to understand her, but it was more than likely too late for that. Did it really matter if he did?

"It's this things fault that the Purge started, and it's people who are dying. Serah told us to save Cocoon. That means this thing needs to die!"

Snow needed no further confirmation about Lightning's part in all of this. For her own reasons, ones he might ask if given a chance in the future, she had forsaken her career, followed after her sister, and gone after the thing she considered responsible for hurting Serah and Bodhum. To Lightning, this was '_an enemy of Cocoon.' _She had made a promise earlier, to go up against everything that was taking advantage of innocent people, both fal'Cie and Sanctum alike. An orange glow chose that moment to awaken, so hot and intense that they had to step back. _  
><em>

"What the-?" Sazh asked.

* * *

><p>The fal'Cie had so little time, but they had proven themselves capable of the tasks needed for them. Even the youngest had a role to play in all of this, and should one fail, all would fail, and with them any hope for either world. The fal'Cie judged each of them, the strengths and weaknesses, and never had it run across a group that was so intertwined as these five. Snow, the Protector, Lightning the Commander, Vanille the Compassionate, Sazh the wise one, and Hope the intelligent one. The fal'Cie sensed a sixth, but she wasn't close at the moment, having gone in search of Vanille. It was just as well.<p>

* * *

><p>Lightning fully expected to fight this thing on her own, but Snow had no intentions of leaving her, and strangely enough Sazh didn't either. The only one that did try to run, was the youngest, the girl going after him. Afraid he might get hurt, Vanille quickly caught up to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and casting a series of healing spells around him and the others. None of them would realize what she was doing, not without l'Cie powers of their own. <em>Why were they fighting a fal'Cie? They couldn't possibly stand a chance of winning?<em>

_They will complete what you have not,_ and it was gone. Vanille's eyes widened in shock. The fal'Cie had drawn these people here, using Serah to do it. She had little choice but to watch, but she knew in the next few moments, she wouldn't have to have a reason to hide what she was anymore.

"Come on," Sazh tried to reason with Lightning. "Do you really think you can kill a fal'Cie?"

"I'm doing this for Serah!" she wasn't going to leave, and Snow was right along side her. It was one of the few times in their lives that they both agreed on something, regardless of the reason behind it. Sazh remembering why he had come, pulled out his pistols. As the thing woke up, it began to expand, and instead of a lifeless piece of machinery, it now towered over them, tall and wide.

"Dahj..." She heard the old man whisper. She had no idea who that was, but it seemed like she had a partial reason to why he had chosen to continue following her. "I'm in. As long as you don't mind an amateur. I've got these things. Might as well use 'em!"

"Thanks," she told him. All of them were together and in sync with her decision. Perhaps it wasn't the best decision, but in there own grief, all of them saw no alternative. And with that the battle begun. Going on the offensive, they started to attack the arms, Lightning tossing the occasional potion as they needed it. As the arms were regenerating they attacked the main body, and as they attacked from the inside, and the army from the outside, the fal'Cie didn't have the strength to keep up the fight.

The fal'Cie waited, and just as they thought they had won, it opened a void beneath them and swallowed them, closing overhead. Here, in pure darkness, they saw nothing, hearing only the sound of a clock chiming echoing in their ears and minds. "What's going on?" they heard Snow ask.

Lightning spotted a large crystal above them, a strange blast hitting it, and then exploded in every direction. Not once did the clock stop chiming, a wave of ice spreading out from the Vestige, and across the land beneath. The only ones safe from its affect were the five of them. However, while the fal'Cie released its last dying energy, it grabbed them with hot tentacles, searing them with its brand. They fought and struggled to get free, but the fal'Cie gave them no choice. He knew what their intentions were before making them a l'Cie, knowing they'd complete their Focus, and restore balance to both worlds. In marking them, each had a vision, and until later, they wouldn't know it was linked, all of them connected to the same Focus and the one that had given it to them. Even Vanille's original Focus had changed.

The nightmare revealed something like a monster that seemed intent on destroying Cocoon completely. In a last wave of power, the dying fal'Cie exploded, turning the Hanging Edge, and the lake beneath into a world of eternal crystal. Not a single Soldier survived, and inside the void, the six companions floated, cursed with their own fate and task; just like Serah.


	27. Reflections - Part Fourteen

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Fourteen<strong>

The last thing she wanted was to win, but Light had never thrown a fight in her life. From the first day she had seen him, from the first whisper of his abilities, she had wanted to truly find out if she measured up. She didn't need someone giving her the fight, or looking to her to end their suffering. Everyone has their own sorrows, they have their own shadows and sins to bear, but you didn't give up, nor did you place that burden on someone else. That day, inside of the Vestige, she had felt a flicker of desire for the first time in her life, but it had not been the time nor the place. She wasn't sure if there ever would be, but deep down, she had chosen, and if Snow disappointed her this time...

She wasn't so sure she'd really walk away... but he didn't need to know that, and she carefully shielded her thoughts. Light definitely had no intentions of going easy on him, not when she needed Snow to have her back. Dropping low, she kicked him off his feet, but just as her arm came up to back hand him in the head, he blocked with a solid forearm, causing it to bruise slightly. She winced; Snow was definitely built like an ox.

Neither of them were truly human any longer, gifted with tremendous power and immortality. All the l'Cie had immortality now, but how much Light had no idea. Something about her companions was unique, and Bhunivelze had feared them more than any other in the history of humanity. Was that why Bhunivelze had wanted a new world without fal'Cie?

Conjuring up a weapon from the shadows, the sword that Lumina had partially broken, clashed against an ice barrier. Why wasn't he using a weapon of his own? Light tried to remember, and other than at the palace, he had never used one. Her eyes widened at her mistake, but it was too late. He had the same intensity as that day, a glint of determination and something she couldn't comprehend. Perhaps she should threaten the idiot more often; he definitely wasn't giving an inch, and the key difference between then and now was that Snow had no desire to die. She might have agility and skill on her side, but Snow's size was deceptive, moving at incredible speeds and as they were locked together, he gave one flick of his wrist, and a gust of wind had her once again flying backwards. She had only a brief instant to roll out of the way as a wave of ice came shooting towards her.

She didn't have to analyze the stuff to know that would have ended their fight right then and there, locking and immobilizing her indefinitely. Snow always did prefer his ice powers, developing them to the point of perfection, and to this day, she really had no idea how she had managed to break through his ice barriers to get to him. Had he let her through; a sliver of Snow wanting to be saved despite what he had told her?

Lightning was still exhausted from her earlier training session, but she tried not to show it as she re-engaged, faking with a jab to the jaw, quickly followed with a side kick that landed solidly against his chest. Rather than try to block it, he let her land it, using her momentum to not only shackle her leg to his body, but maintain that hold and throw off her center of balance. Neither of them spoke; they didn't have to. If she didn't get out of his grip and fast, he was going to end it. Using her hands, she allowed her other leg to come up, clipping him on the chin and he released her with a yelp of pain. If the temperature dropped any lower, Lightning shivering in an effort to stay warm. His eyes were a deeper shade of blue than normal, and Snow, no longer playing games, having no reason to let her win this or having nothing to stand in their way, unleashed everything that he had to offer and more, firing off wave after wave of ice. It was everything she could do to dodge out of the way, Snow sending her on the defensive, either batting an attack out of her way with her sword, or ducking behind an obstacle to keep it from hitting her.

* * *

><p>Snow had no intentions of hurting her, but enough was enough, knowing she was reaching her physical limits. For the past several minutes, he had been dropping the temperature in the room to several degrees below freezing, Light losing energy despite her efforts to keep moving. It really wasn't fair, but Snow wasn't the type to do so when he wanted something. Her entire body was shaking, her teeth chattering, and she gave him a look that made him almost burst out laughing.<p>

If he had this kind of power, why hadn't he used it on her at the 'End of Day's Celebration?' "The thought crossed my mind," he admitted, "had a lot of things going on."

"Stop that," she hissed, too cold to lift her weapon any longer. They hadn't been fighting for an hour, and he wasn't even winded, a glint of pure male amusement in his eyes. They were a deeper shade of blue than normal, and this time when she tried to punch him, he grabbed and pinned her wrist to the wall, just slightly raised above her head. Not giving her an opportunity to try attacking with the other hand, he secured it as well. "You really set yourself up for this one," he taunted, placing a hand on the wall above her head. "First, never engage an enemy that's at full strength. Even you know better than that."

"I'm not one of your Soldiers," she hissed in outrage, insulted that he was giving her pointers on how to fight. She'd been holding a sword for the past several thousand years, and yet he had beaten her with nothing more than an ice storm. Who'd have thought something as dropping a room fifty degrees below zero would prove so effective.

"No... Not even Gadot's crazy enough to take me on, not since he had the audacity to tell me I should be fighting with guns instead of my hands." Lightning tried to kick him, but without the use of her hands, it was rather pointless, and simply earned her two more restraints on her ankles. She couldn't recall the last time she had felt this vulnerable, and really, she had herself to blame for this one. He was right, fighting him in her exhausted state had definitely been a major error on her part, but would it have mattered?

Snow with nothing more than a snow storm, had easily over powered her. "I wanted to ask you something," he growled, his voice dropping a level. "That day, on the Vestige, you weren't alone." If he didn't raise the temperature soon, she wouldn't have the energy to stay conscious, let alone process the jealousy in his voice. "What was he to you?"

Was he serious? _He finally has the upper hand, and he wants to ask if I had a thing for Sazh_? Very slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, he tugged on the zipper of her leather jacket, letting it slide down until it touched the center of her belly button. One more inch, and it'd fall open, but he left it like that, exposing only the skin, and leaving her breasts covered. Strong, warm fingers touched her sternum, nothing more, but she felt as if she had been electrocuted. "Second, what are you trying to hide from me?"

One more step, and his entire body pressed against her, and the freezing temperatures didn't seem to bother her as much. His large hand was splayed across her stomach, making those small circles that managed to draw a whimper. With his other hand, he tilted back her chin, holding her in place as he lowered his head, softly brushing her lips with his own.

She expected raw aggression, not this, Snow assaulting her with a patience that had her whimpering and tugging at her restraints. She didn't want slow... this was different than those few rare moments they had managed to find on Gran Pulse or throughout time... The colors of his eyes were so blue, a faint red glow in them, that she cried out when he nipped at her bottom lip, followed with the lap of his tongue to simply repeat the process. "I'm never letting you go, Farron... not now, not tomorrow, and if Bhunivelze is stupid enough to try..." The cold was making it too hard to stay awake, and the last thing she remembered was Snow's warm mouth pressed against her own, as if he had all the time in the world to seduce her with his kiss alone.

Letting the storm vanish, he easily caught and lifted her as she fell, Light far too exhausted to stir. He considered taking this a step further, but Snow decided she needed a slow seduction versus a fast one. Lightning Farron was going to ask him to take her, or he'd ensure a lot of uncomfortable tension.


	28. Day 11 - Seaside of Bodhum (Proposal)

Day 11 - The Seaside of Bodhum (Proposal)

* * *

><p><strong>~ Flashback [Snow and Serah]~<strong>

Normally, a happy time for him, Snow glanced up at the fireworks. His mind, rather than on the yearly celebration, was preoccupied with a young woman, in particular one of his younger recruits. In previous years, he would have never dated one so young, but neither of them really cared for each other in the way people thought. Instead, they had both agreed that dating one another, was nothing more than an attempt to get a rise out of his girlfriend's sister.

Snow had no idea how he managed to get into these kind of fixes, but at the time, he hadn't seen another alternative to getting close to the elusive Lightning Farron. Serah, quite on accident, had over heard him speaking to Gadot about her, and later as he was a lone, she told him that the only way to get close to Lightning, was to act like he was trying to date the only thing she did care about; her.

It had been a crazy idea, but what choices did he have? Farron wasn't so much as acknowledging him, getting his blood boiling, and never in his life had he been so tempted to demand a woman's complete and utter submission like he did Farron. Not in the sense that he wanted her to stop fighting, but damn it, she was everything he wanted in a woman, strong, smart, and completely immune to his charm. How the hell did he get her to like and want him back? Snow had reluctantly agreed to Serah's crazy idea. and just as Serah had predicted, their relationship awakened a side of Lightning that had everyone scattering out of her way, no one wanting any part of her fury.

Rather than face him, or his farce of a relationship with Serah, she tried all that much harder to stay away from him. Rumors on the street were that Farron was becoming more reckless in her assignments, staying outside the city boundaries for longer periods of time with no back up or Soldiers to assist her if she got into trouble. He had planned on telling Lightning the truth, but all of that had changed a couple of days ago. Just on the verge of turning 17, it seemed that enraging Lightning further was a definite possibility. How the hell did he tell Lightning Farron that her sister was now the number one enemy of Cocoon, and if PSICOM found out, Serah would find herself on a front row seat for the firing squad?

Damn it. This was normally his one night of fun out on the town, but not a single woman struck his fancy, and every time he turned his head, he hoped to spot his elusive little warrior girl. It was an appropriate nick name for her, and if she ever found out that's how he thought of her, he was almost certain he'd be on the receiving end of that gun blade of hers. If anyone else had an interest in Lightning, and Snow found out about it, he quickly discouraged them, his intention quite clear to anyone that was foolish enough to ignore his warnings to keep their hands off. Not even Lightning's superior officers dared to try dating her, not with Snow watching their every move. Without NORA's financial support, maintaining the safety and well-being of Bodhum's populace would not have been an easy task.

Unlike most, the thought of tossing Serah out of NORA wasn't an option. She was one of their own, and if nothing else, she was his complete responsibility. How the hell had she managed to get herself into so much trouble in such a short amount of time, and how the hell did he hide the fact that she was a l'Cie from the Sanctum?

First, he found out she had been marked by a Pulse fal'Cie. Second, he had no idea what her Focus was or how to help her complete it. Third, if she truly was a danger to Cocoon, did that mean he had an obligation to execute her? Having not slept in two days, Snow tried to think of the options he had. To keep her here wasn't an option, but if he left, NORA and Lightning would become vulnerable to PSICOM. Letting her fend for herself definitely wasn't on the menu either.

That gave him only one more alternative. He had to help complete her Focus, but how did he hide her long enough to do that? Was it even possible to free Serah from the fal'Cie curse? Despite the summer breeze, Snow wore his usual trench coat, black bandanna, biker gloves, and boots. Anyone from NORA, easily identified him as the commander of the growing, Bodhum military. No, the Sanctum didn't approve of their group, but so long as they didn't openly defy the government, PSICOM turned a blind eye, allowing them to police up the locals and wildlife outside the city.

The situation was bad enough that he had pulled his right hand man and best friend aside, quietly explaining the situation. Gadot had looked shocked, even briefly hostile towards the girl. After a few minutes though, he too had come to the same conclusion. A terrible mistake had been made; Serah didn't have it in her to destroy Cocoon, so why had the fal'Cie chosen her? Snow had so little options available to him, and if he chose to protect Serah, he'd risk not only himself and becoming a wanted fugitive, but all of NORA as well.

"I'm going to take her," he finally decided. Gadot didn't argue, knowing Snow had little choice. Either he had to turn her in, or he had to face exile. This was his operation though; him leaving wasn't going to go over well with the other children of Bodhum, never having a place to go or someone to watch out for them until Snow had come along. Was one girl really worth all of this, even death? Or was it more complicated than that? Gadot and Lebreau knew Snow better than himself, and as much as he tried to hide it, his true feelings were not directed towards Serah, but her stubborn sister.

Gadot already knew that answer. "You should propose to her; at least that'll buy you some time and explain why you suddenly left."

"She's just a kid, Gadot." The red head shrugged. The rules didn't seem to apply to orphans like it did those with parents, and without Snow or NORA, Serah was as good as dead.

"You better watch yourself. That sister of hers will never fall for it, and if anything happens to Serah... well... let's just say I'd prefer PSICOM hunting me down. And what if you can't free her? What if you become a l'Cie yourself?"

"You and I both know I'll never allow anyone to harm Cocoon, not without a fight."

"Then consider this a vacation; at least for now. I can manage things." Gadot didn't want to lose his friend, but Snow had too much integrity to allow one of their own to face something like this on their own. The other problem was Lightning Farron. It was obvious to anyone that knew what they were looking for, that Lightning was his weakness. Snow only dated Serah for two reasons, one to spite Lightning's decree that Serah have nothing to do with him, and two, to keep her out of trouble. Gadot didn't even think Serah cared for him on that level either, but Lighting didn't approve of anyone Serah hung around, nor did she want a group like NORA teaching her how to fight and survive; that was her job, not theirs.

She had joined the Guardian Corps so Serah wouldn't have to face the dirtier aspects of life, to give her all the things that she had willingly given up. "Could be worse I guess? At least this way she has a chance... I can't let her face this on her own, Gadot. There's really not much of an alternative; if I'm successful, I can give her a chance to grow up and find someone else."

"You're an idiot," Gadot grumbled, but it was that reason that had all of them chose to follow him. He had gone out of his way for all of them, and Serah, in his eyes was no different.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, searching the Bodhum tourists and locales, Snow wandered the beach side in search of Serah. She had tried to run away a day prior, terrified of the curse, and the people that would label her as an enemy of Cocoon.<p>

Everyone seemed so happy, playing and laughing as if a threat didn't loom over all their heads. The local cafe, ran and operated by a NORA operative, had filled to capacity, the occupants spilling on the beach front. Most of them were already staggering from too much alcohol, but it was easy and good money. She was also Gadot's girlfriend, and if people thought messing with Serah was dangerous... Snow snorted in amusement. Lebreau had the ability to take care of her own fights, but that didn't mean Gadot didn't go behind her back and re-enforce her lessons.

Another operative ran around collecting empty bottles, a smile on his youthful face. Yuj... another recent addition to NORA, a genius and a calming influence of the group. He might have been better suited for Serah, but that didn't matter now. Snow didn't trust any of them with this mess, and he rather expose himself than the others.

The people of Bodhum loved the NORA kids, feeling safe and protected. The Sanctum rarely tried to come to their assistance, not unless the threat directly applied to the government, or had anything Pulse related attached to it. Lightning was one of the few that despised NORA, what it stood for, and especially the self-proclaimed leader.

To add fuel to the fire, the moment Serah had joined NORA, Lightning had become even more hostile, if that were even possible. The moment Serah had expressed an interest in dating him, Lightning had chosen to ask for more time off, wanting to distract Serah, but to no avail. It was as if both were choosing to defy her, and the harder she protested, the more determined they became to flaunt their relationship in her face. He actually found it amusing, watching the rage flash in her unusual eyes.

Lightning didn't like her authority questioned, nor the fact that Snow had the ability to take her in unarmed or armed combat. Despite his reckless behavior at times, there was something in him that terrified Serah's older sister, and he pushed that to the very limit, waiting for a time when Lightning would lose control and strike. He saw the flicker of anger on her beautiful face each and every time he had his arm wrapped around Serah, and though he knew Serah didn't have feelings for him, both resented the fact that Lightning refused to let Serah make her own decisions.

Serah wasn't a bad catch, easy on the eyes, well tempered, and often stayed out of trouble. The latter was only if he wasn't dragging her off on one of NORA's missions to save a Bodhum resident, but he had never let anything happen to her. Until recently... Eight days before, 'The Purge,' she had been marked as a fal'Cie slave, a Pulse brand on her left forearm. His first instinct had been to cast her out of NORA, to protect everyone and not just one member, but it went against everything he had created the group for. She was a Cocoon citizen, and instead of turning his back, he had chosen to stand at her side at all costs, to protect her against the people that had called her a friend her entire life. Scared, and depressed, she easily gave in and let him cast a protective, but invisible, net around her.

Inside the café, people were whispering about how the entire NORA group was together, none of them noticing the stranger at the bar in front of Lebreau. Why should they have? Bodhum received millions of tourists a year, providing a comfortable living and means to finance their military group. Two girls ran into a tall blond, oblivious to his status or who he was. He had a blond stubble on his face, wore black, leather gloves, a gray trench coat, a black bandanna, and heavy gray boots. "Whoa! Excuse me!" They said in unison.

He gave each a friendly smile, use to the attention he received. It wasn't his fault he towered over everyone at 6'7", with sky blue eyes, but he didn't mind the height variance. It often gave him a decisive advantage against his adversaries, to include his girlfriend's hellcat of a sister. "Excuse me," he said, already walking into the cafe. It wasn't just that he was tall, but that he knew how to use his size to his advantage, every inch of him pure muscle, and trained for every form of combat. No, he wasn't a PSICOM or Guardian Corps Soldier, but he was a fighter none-the-less. He didn't trust anyone to protect the innocent, and he ensured the Bodhum citizen's safety through NORA. "See you around!"

"You know him?" The girl's friend asked.

"No, but I want to!" he chuckled, but he was about to officially take himself off the availability list. First, he needed to find a certain young lady.

From behind the counter, his right hand man's girlfriend spoke over the crowd, a sparkle in her eyes. If she didn't think Serah was his type, she kept it to herself, happy if Snow was happy. "Oh, you just missed her," she teased. "She said she'll be at the 'usual' place." He gave her a sheepish, almost bashful laugh, not his usual confident one.

Waving, he turned; "thanks."

Distracted with the woman at her bar, "Sorry about that. Now, who did you say you were looking for?" Lebreau handed her a glass, the woman strangely quiet despite the large amount of alcohol already in her system.

Outside, Snow jumped from the top stair to the beach, pumping his fists together in an effort to bolster his courage. It wasn't like proposing to someone was a death sentence, even if he had planned on waiting a while longer. No, he didn't love her. Oh well, it wasn't like he had anyone else standing in line. Okay, so what if he didn't have that 'spark' everyone spoke about. It wasn't like he'd find it, and taking care of one of his own was better than linking with someone that didn't need or understand his desire to become a Hero and voice for the people. As far as he was concerned, Serah needed him more than anyone else he knew, faced with exile and possible execution if discovered. He'd never believe that she was a threat to Cocoon, and he vowed to protect her at all costs, even from her own sister if necessary. Would Lightning turn on her? He wanted to hope that she loved her sister more than military regulations and Sanctum law, but she always had a strict code she followed, never smiling, never laughing, and always at an emotional distance from Cocoon citizens. "Here goes!"

He was over dressed compared to the tourists, but everyone had grown use to his clothing attire, and he walked through the crowd, his eyes never wavering.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Snow found her alone, her head bowed over a balcony. This wasn't like the happy, exuberant girl he knew, her smile gone, and a single tear sliding down her pale cheek. She loved the crowds and playing on the beach and hanging out with the other NORA teenagers. Eventually she might find someone she liked better, but this had to be done in order to keep her alive and safe.<p>

Snow didn't have to tell her that though, moving in closer with her still deep in thought. It was probably about what she had told him earlier, and her sad isolation only reconfirmed that she wasn't the bogey monster everyone claimed about the l'Cie. "Making a wish?" She jumped, holding back a scream, and she gave him a strained smile. He didn't agree about telling Lightning, but Serah trusted her sister, despite Snow's brief interactions with the 'Super Soldier.' Lightning had easily excelled through the ranks, cutting down all her adversaries, smarter and faster than all her class mates, peers, and subordinates. In less than six years, she had become a sergeant, and had the possibility of becoming an officer.

He chuckled at Serah's startled reaction; no, she definitely wasn't a bad catch. She didn't fawn over him like other women, she just wanted protection, something he easily provided. Leaning back, with her hands on the rail, she glanced up at the fireworks; "Maybe I was. I was hoping that tomorrow I can tell my sister." Snow snorted, but he kept his comments to himself. Lightning was a sensitive topic to Serah, and he never understood why she wanted to defend her so feverishly, but Serah also didn't talk of her past much or why Lightning was often absent. "She'll be so mad, knowing I hid it from her."

Hating to see her this way, especially since she brought so much laughter in his group, he turned and gave her a smile of encouragement. "Don't worry. I'll take the blame for you." He doubted Lightning would have blamed Serah anyway. When it came to her 'baby' sister, Lightning was like a wild, feral mountain cat that attacked with all claws extended. She hated Snow, probably more now that he had decided to declare Serah as his girlfriend.

Wanting to take her mind off the inevitable confession; "You know, you should ask for something bigger. These are wish-granting fireworks, like in the stories." Snow couldn't believe he was using this stuff on her; it was something he told the younger kids, but her eyes did seem to light up for a moment, as if she wanted it to be true.

Then her smile vanished, her hand moving to her forearm; "Stories, huh?" Snow cursed, leave it to her to focus on the one they all feared, one he didn't often tell. "L'Cie who fulfill their Focus- they become crystal and gain eternal life."

Snow leaned against the rail, wanting to help rid her of this curse, to give her a chance at real happiness. He was just an orphaned brat, not having a clue about how to make a woman happy, but he'd try. She was one of their own, and wasn't that what NORA was about; saving people? "It would help if they gave you some sort of clue about what you were suppose to do."

Serah started to panic, almost breaking into tears again. Grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face him; "We'll figure this out. You will never be one of those monsters."

Taking his hand and sliding it off, she pulled out of his arms; "so what will I be? A crystal?" Snow had no idea how to make a woman stop crying, and he really didn't like it when one did, but Serah had every right in this case. Her fate wasn't exactly a fairy tale, and reaching for the objects in his pockets, wondering if now was a good time.

"Yesterday at the store, I got us something." Turning, she stopped crying, looking at them with awe. Had he really got them for her? Why would he do that? He wasn't exactly the type to spend money on other people, not if it didn't involve NORA and helping it to expand. Snow didn't like, or trust the Sanctum, and he spent thousands of gold on intelligence gathering and operations. If he, at any time, ever thought the Sanctum would hurt the Cocoon citizens, the NORA resistance would step up its own operations and move from wild beast hunting to open opposition.

The way her eyes lit up, said that she wasn't use to getting things, even if the jewelry trinkets were a bit old and stupid. "I don't know much about jewelry, but... I hope you like it." Helping her to put it around her neck, she turned, a smile on her pale face. "I will stand by you, no matter what happens. I thought about asking you to marry me, but if nothing else, we can tell everyone we're engaged until we figure this stuff out."

This time the shadow of fear left her completely, having her hope re-kindled at Snow's resolve to keep her safe. It was something her sister should have done, but Serah didn't blame Lightning or the profession she had chosen. Lightning, at the time, had had no choice in order to keep them alive. "Okay," she whispered, tears of happiness in her eyes. If the situation had been different, she wouldn't have agreed to this, but she knew why he was doing the things he was. She felt like she was using him, but she was too afraid of dying and wanted to believe that she had a chance.

"Who knows, if neither of us find someone that makes us happy, we can just get married anyway." She wrapped her slender arms around his neck as he lifted and spun her around. He knew she was still young, and he'd give her time, all the time she'd ever needed to have a happy life.

Gently putting her down, he tucked a strand of hair behind her tiny ear, wondering why he didn't have 'the spark.' She had a gentle laugh, an even softer spirit, and yet there was nothing other than a desire to keep her safe. Still, he had meant what he said to Gadot. Until she either completed her Focus, or she turned into a monster, he'd not abandon her. Even the Sanctum Soldiers didn't mess with Snow, especially anything he considered his.

Gadot had promised to spread the word of their engagement the next morning, which would give everyone all the more reason to avoid Serah. Snow wasn't exactly a violent person, but when it came to the other members of NORA, he aggressively handled any and all threats against them. "I have another surprise for you," he whispered, giving her a warm smile.

Tilting her head, she blinked at him, but he said nothing until they reached the edge of the sea side, her hand enveloped in his larger one. Gasping, she started to pull back, her beautiful eyes on his beloved sky-bike. No one touched it, but he didn't seem to care as his smile widened and he tugged her forward, placing her on the bike, and hopping up behind her. "Snow, we both know you're only doing this to keep me safe." Was he that damn obvious?

Leaning close to her ear, his voice so soft that she had to strain to hear him, "As far as anyone is concerned, you're my fiancée." His arms reaching for the steering bars, he turned the throttle forward, and listened with satisfied contentment as she started up. Serah's first instinct was to jump off and give his beloved bike some space, but he wasn't having it, already lifting it off the ground. "Unless you know how to fly, I wouldn't advise getting off," he taunted, watching her blush.

"It's just that..."

"Serah..." as if he were talking to a young child, and perhaps she still was. At sixteen, she needed so much more time to experience life, to figure out who she was and what her dreams were. How the hell had someone her age been made a l'Cie? Not everyone considered her a child still; according to Sanctum law, Serah had become an adult the moment she hit 16, the government no longer willing to provide shelter or assistance to an orphan at that point. They either learned to survive or they died. "How about we make a deal? First we find away to complete your Focus, and then, after two years, if we haven't found someone either of us prefer better, we make it more official."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper. Serah didn't know how she felt about Snow, but at the moment, she didn't care if she loved him or not. He was the only chance she had.

"Forget about it. Right now, all you need to worry about is the fireworks and making your wish."

* * *

><p>Gliding over the water, fireworks of different colors exploding around them, Serah allowed herself to lean against his warm chest, to close her eyes and imagine everything going back to normal. She wanted to love him and perhaps in time she might. Snow was everything a girl could want; tall, handsome, kind, and so damn chivalrous that she wondered if something was wrong with her not to have deeper feelings for him.<p>

To the people below, they looked like a young couple in love, but to Serah, he was the only thing she had that kept her from falling completely apart. Why was he doing this for her? He should have cast her out, to protect Bodhum, NORA, and the citizens of Cocoon, but the selfish part of her didn't want to let him go, her fingers curled into his shirt as if at any moment he'd turn on her like all the stories said. Cocoon citizens despised and feared l'Cie and fal'Cie, even one of their own should one of them find their body marked with 'the brand.'

"Gotta love these fireworks," he told her, his breath warm against her neck. Damn if he wasn't a complete moron. Normally, he'd have jumped all over a chance to make his move on a girl like this, but he only felt a strong sense of protection. One, she was too young, and second, he didn't like taking advantage of vulnerable women. She turned her head to look at him, her gaze meeting soft, blue eyes. Why couldn't she love him? Was something wrong with her? Still, she decided that love wasn't everything, that to have someone like Snow willing to provide and keep her safe, was more than any person had a right to ask for. "Did you make your wish?"

"Yeah, but it's not really that important. Who knows, it might happen." The summer breeze picked up his blond hair and blew it across his face, a strand tickling her nose. No. She decided she wasn't going to hold him to his promise. If they managed to find a way to free herself of the curse, she was going to let him go. He deserved someone that understood the type of person he was, and that wasn't her.

Minus the temper, Snow reminded her of her sister and his need to protect and provide for those important to him. In Snow's case, it was the Bodhum orphans, to include Serah. She only wished he'd try to understand Lightning a little more. Like Serah, she too had lost a lot, but she didn't exactly broadcast that neither of them had a way to survive, that Lightning had to endure a lot to get through school, work in places that accepted under aged kids, and to score high enough mentally and physically to get into the Guardian Corps.

Serah, after the past couple of days, wished she had appreciated her sister's sacrifices a little more, the need to keep her out of danger and away from people like Snow. She didn't blame the man for what had happened, and she wondered if the fal'Cie might have marked her with or without Lightning around. "Then maybe they'll grant mine too."

She was so far away from him again, despite being so close. The tears were always presence in her blue eyes, but at the moment she didn't shed any. "What's that?" he gently asked her. Serah never seemed afraid to confide in him, at least not since he had refused to abandon her.

"To have the courage to tell Lightning that I've become a l'Cie."

"Hey," he complained, bringing her out of her somber thoughts. His face had gotten so close, "Our engagement is way bigger news!" They weren't really engaged, and even Serah debated on the recklessness of that confession. Dating her had been one thing, but marriage? Serah wasn't sure which confession Lightning was going to explode over first, the part where she had been made a l'Cie, or the fact that Snow supposedly wasn't just her boyfriend anymore. The fireworks arched over them like a gentle rain shower, glowing on their skin.

He started to chuckle, as if he just realized the same thing. "Oh man, I can't wait to see her face." She too started to laugh, not sure if she envied his predicament. "She'll be my new sister," he mocked, and Serah nodded, a twinkle in her eyes. It had almost become a game with them, to see who'd make Lightning angrier. Serah had a strange feeling that deep down, Snow wanted Lightning's approval and that he liked her more than he'd admit to anyone. The madder she became, the more determined he insisted on tearing her mental walls down.

It was perhaps the main reason both of them had decided to become girlfriend and boyfriend in the first place. Initially, it had been only to irritate Lightning, but the moment the 'Super Soldier' had demanded they'd break it off, they decided to defy her at every opportunity. Serah had no doubts in her mind, that if she hadn't been made a l'Cie, that Snow might have eventually broken it off with her and officially gone after her sister. The two were made for each other, whether they wanted to admit it or not. Both made sacrifices, and both only sought to protect what was important to them. Lightning feared letting anyone get close, nor did Serah fault her sister for it. The moment she told Lightning what had happened, Lightning's nightmares and past would re-open and cut through her like a knife. Snow had no idea, and Serah had so little memories of what had happened to her parents. Was telling Lightning the right thing, knowing what it would do to her?

Turning the sky bike, he maneuvered to inside the fireworks dome, and Serah gasped, her hands reaching up to grab at the sparks falling into her palms. Her legs over his thigh, one arm supporting her as it guided the bike, she turned to study his features. "Hey Snow?"

"Yeah?" he asked, a smile on his face.

She wanted to try something, and he seemed to sense her unspoken wish, and he had no reason to deny her. Every girl deserved their first kiss, and even if neither of them felt the kind of love a couple should have, he wanted to give her this, just in case. Plus, if anyone looked up, it would only reconfirm them as a solid couple. How had she known that he was only doing this to keep her safe? He certainly wouldn't have gone to all this trouble for anyone else, especially to ride his favorite sky-bike.

Leaning in towards each other, his lips almost brushing over hers, a firework went off right next to them, and nearly knocked them off the bike. "What the-?" Grabbing her around the waist, he held her tight against his chest, struggling to regain control and keep her from falling. After several long seconds, he managed to steady them, but at a safer distance from the dome. "That was close," he gasped.

That was all he needed, to kill Lightning's sister because he wanted to get her close to a few fireworks. Serah doubled over and started to laugh, and he joined her, enjoying the moment. Floating high above the scene below; "Gorgeous. Our own private heaven."

"All we need-" For now she was safe, but he had no idea what the next day might bring, or how long they had before PSICOM came after her. "-just you and me." Even if he didn't love her, he'd never let her want for anything.

Not wanting to lose this one chance, she turned back to him, her hands on his broad chest. He seemed so much stronger and taller than her, but it was okay. She knew he'd never hurt her. Afraid, but determined, she closed the remaining distance between them and kissed him. Pulling back slightly, she hesitated, not quite certain if she had done that right. The spark wasn't there, and she almost wished that it had been. The tears started to fall again, and Snow pulled her close, his hand stroking her soft hair. He didn't want her to see his disappointment either. Why couldn't he find himself wanting her? "Thank you, Snow," she had told him, and everything went blank.

Awareness slowly returning to him, and the sun beating down on him, Snow jerked awake screaming her name. "Serah!" Serah was gone, but not far away were the two kids, Lightning, and her unfamiliar companion. Looking around, he stood, overwhelmed with what he was seeing. Instead of finding themselves dead or washed up on Lake Bresha's shore, he stood at the water's crystallized form. "Is this... for real?"


	29. Reflections - Part Fifteen

(Reflections - **Present**)

* * *

><p><strong>Part Fifteen<strong>

He had to consider how best to handle her. Light had a lot of pride, and he couldn't fault that in her; it had kept her alive. Through her tough exterior, she possessed a considerable amount of vulnerability, and when it came to anything other than combat, she had no idea how to function. It amazed him that they had ever done anything past what they were doing now, but even then to her, it was a normal function for a Soldier. If she had felt anything, she more than likely didn't expect anything in return from himself.

Her workout area wasn't very large, consisting of a mat, a futon to rest, and a punching bag. Her life was extremely simple, kill or be killed, and Snow had to give her something other than those concepts to latch onto. Carrying her to the Futon, he sat down and let her sleep their little sparring match off, her head on his lap. Snow was exhausted, haven't really slept much in the last several days, always worried that she'd vanish on him again. It was her same fear that kept her from committing to him, but he was done with that. Their enemies only had a hold on them because she had tried to keep everyone at an emotional distance.

Always there was a reason why he couldn't have her, but Snow finally had her figured out. Despite her iron control over every aspect of her life, the one thing she wanted and needed was not someone that would give that to her. Personally, she needed just the opposite, someone that she could lean or curl against for comfort. That had always been denied to her, ever since she was a young child of 16. Stroking her delicate neck, he watched her shift in her sleep, despite the sore muscles she'd have upon waking.

Curious, he moved lower, turning her over onto her back, and exposing her stomach. He had yet to re-zip up her jacket, but he didn't care for that, allowing it to open all the way and sliding it off her ivory skin. She was beautiful, and it hurt to think that he had come so close to losing her. He wanted to take control of her, give her no other alternative than to rely on him. He couldn't stop her from fighting, that wasn't the kind of lives they had. None of the ones marked by a fal'Cie would ever have a normal existence, cursed to an eternity of immortality.

With the back of his hand, he continued to stroke her skin, satisfied to see her whimper and turn over, her face pressed into his chest. Subconsciously, her body knew what he was doing, but didn't know enough to react the way an experienced woman would. He didn't want experienced; he craved Lightning. Snow struggled with an internal conflict; to allow her to sleep, or wake her up in a storm of fire and need. The latter won out, and re-positioning her into a sitting position, he let her head rest against his larger shoulder, and as he hovered above her lips, waiting for her to open her eyes, his hand continued to move lower, reaching for the zipper to her jeans. The old Snow would have never contemplated what he was about to do; but Lightning would never make the first move on her own, and he had been in her mind enough to know that she had chosen, but had no idea how to ask for it.

Very slowly, not wanting her to wake just yet, he unzipped her jeans, allowing his hand to slide beneath the material and her silken panties. She whimpered, and the position he had her in, prevented her from turning away or towards him, keeping her just the way he wanted her. Even in her unconscious state, she was wet, his finger sliding easily across her folds. A louder whimper was his reward. As much as he wanted inside of her, this wasn't about him, it was about Light and teaching her experiences she wouldn't learn about if he rushed her. The pad of his finger found a small nub, and he brushed it in a small circular motion, her voice crying out and her back arching.

He continued to repeat the motion, pressing just a little harder, and through their mental connection he felt the heat in her rising, and just as she opened her eyes, struggling to understand what was happening to her, he slammed his mouth over hers, nipping at her lower lip, and with her gasp, swept her up in the storm of fire. His thumb still on that little nub, he let a single finger slide into her, followed with a second. Even if she tried to close her thighs, she'd not evade the strong fingers thrusting in side of her, and with his one free hand he took a nipple and pinched slightly. Enough to sting, but not enough to seriously hurt her. _Snow..._ she mentally cried out. Her body wanted something, and she feared it; always in the past it was too fast, never enough time, never giving the other what they needed to fulfill more than just a physical need.

_Give me control,_ he growled, knowing it's what she needed. At first she resisted, her mind confused, but her body demanded compliance. _Stop fighting me, Light... _His fingers moved faster and without warning, she screamed, her cries muffled as he continued to slide his finger in and out, allowing another wave to slam into her smaller body before slowing and pulling his hand away. Snow nipped at her throat, and studying her stunned expression, he knew then that had been her first orgasm.

It also answered his question about Sazh; Light had never allowed any other to touch her, and it amazed him that she had allowed Snow that one time on Pulse, and the other time just before the end of the world. It had just happened, both of them responding to basic instincts. However, for Snow, it always left him craving for more, and even if he was left wanting, just seeing her in a state of shock gave him a sense of male satisfaction he had never had before.

"Care to tell me what you're up to, now?" He asked against the column of her throat. Snow hated surprises, and as tempted as he was to read her thoughts, he chose to let her tell him.

"Can we talk about it outside?" she asked. Her breath was still heavy, gasping for air as she struggled to regain control, but the others seemed to want to surprise him so badly; why she had no idea. Snow hated surprises, but she couldn't blame him. Ever since Serah had been marked a l'Cie, it had been one catastrophe after the next.

"I need a shower; outside, huh? No more games?"

"Nope. As soon as you're done with your shower, I'll tell you everything," she promised.

Snow frowned; after their sparring match and everything else, why was she suddenly being so agreeable? Her eyes were dancing with laughter, and before he could consider torturing it out of her through various other methods, she rolled from the Futon and bolted out the door, sliding her jacket back on before she was up the stairs.


	30. Branded

Branded - (**Chapter Three**)

* * *

><p>The dream didn't want to fade as he climbed his way back to awareness. At first he thought he might have died and this was what it was like to find himself blinded with a white light, and then surrounded in blue crystal. Despite not loving Serah, that day above the fireworks, had been one of his happier moments. The only thing NORA had ever done was kill the occasional monster, trained for possible uprisings or riots, but nothing had ever prepared Snow for this. The last several hours had been nothing more than a blood path, and it wouldn't stop until every citizen in Bodhum was dead. The Sanctum couldn't afford a survivor, not if it meant letting everyone know what had truly happened.<p>

A part of him thought if he had made different decisions, the outcome might have been different. However, he was also aware that they had been heavily outmatched and outnumbered. If they had done nothing... if they had all picked up a weapon and fought back... the outcome was still the same. Several people would have died regardless, and no matter how he played out different scenarios in his mind, he still saw that woman, her words whispering in his mind, _get him home.__  
><em>

He had no idea if the boy had been near the train, what might have become of him after he had gotten on the Pulse Vestige, and now, as he stared at the sky above, the unknown ate at him from the inside out. One thing was for certain, regardless if he freed Serah or not, he no longer had to marry her. That didn't relieve him of his obligations and promises, but once she awoke, Serah would find herself free of the fal'Cie curse. At least according to the legends. He had never considered researching former fal'Cie slaves, what had become of them, or their lives afterwards.

Snow had always loved the Bodhum fireworks, and all of them, to include NORA had become so complacent, that none of them had seen this coming. A single tear slid down his pale face, but again now was not the time to allow his despair to take root. He doubted if he'd ever have a chance to reflect on recent events. Titling his head back and forth, he saw nothing but crystal. Beautiful as it was, it felt out of place. Why wasn't he still on the Trussways or the Pulse Vestige? What had happened after they fought the fal'Cie? He recalled falling, a burning pain in his left arm, and then nothing.

He felt no indication of an injury, but that shouldn't have been possible. Had they fallen and somehow survived? That didn't make sense to him either. What about the other survivors? Were they still above them and fighting for their lives. _Gadot, looks like saving those people is up to you. _Pushing himself to his feet, he spotted Lightning, her companion, and the two kids. They to had somehow managed to survive and the confusion only grew. Other than being a bit stiff, not a mark found on any of them either, they were unharmed and alive.

If he recalled his history lessons, there had been a lake beneath the Hanging Edge, known as _Lake Bresha._ There certainly wasn't any water, nor the wildlife that Lake Bresha was famous for. It looked as if a giant wave had gathered, rushing towards something, and then was frozen into an eternal stasis, just like Serah. Upon closer inspection, Snow spotted a few pathways to take. The only one he cared for was the one that lead him back to the Vestige, to search for Serah, and ensure she was unharmed.

What he didn't know was what else had found itself on the crystal surface? Was PSICOM down here as well? He wasn't the only person in a state of shock, and after a long moment of silence, Lightning's companion broke it. _Who was he?_ he wanted to ask. Startled blue eyes glanced over at him, as if she had heard him, but that was impossible. Unless she could suddenly read minds, his thoughts should have been his own. Frowning, she shifted her gaze away, staring at the sea of crystal surrounding them.

Jealousy was not a normal trait for him, but nothing about this man made any sense to him. Was he on the same train when Lightning made a break for it? Again and again he had offered her a place in NORA, needing and wanting her tactical skill and knowledge. If he really thought about it, he didn't even want her for that, but for her. Did she have any idea how attractive she was?

A red blush colored her pale skin, but she didn't look at him, her fingers curling into two tight fists. He wanted to ask her about that, but he refocused his attention on the companion. So why was it, after telling him repeatedly no, that she did things on her own, was she with this guy?! This side of himself was unexpected, and completely out of nowhere.

Her eyes were on him again, a flicker of concern in her gaze, but she didn't say anything. _Is she reading my mind?_ Her eyes shifted away from him, as if to avoid his unspoken question. _Can you?_ he asked her, carefully watching her reaction. She tensed, but nodded, unseen by the others. Snow wanted to ask if she had always been able to do that, but if that were true, she would have never had to question his motives around Serah.

_It's only when you're projecting them right at me, and no, I've never heard you until now._ There was a level of fear in her mind, a suspicion that something had happened to them shortly after defeating the fal'Cie. They had been falling, and Snow recalled something burning his arm. Moving aside his sleeve, he paled. _I think we screwed up,_ she admitted.

This wasn't really a surprise to Snow; they had taken a risk engaging the fal'Cie, and despite it dying, it seemed they had lost anyway. So why was his thoughts still on the companion that was hovering too close to her? Snow struggled to regain control of a side of himself that he didn't know existed, his mind almost blinded in a haze of murderous rage. The only reason he ever agreed to Serah's crazy idea was to protect her. Serah's idea was to get some kind of reaction from Lightning. What none of them had counted on was the intensity of Lightning's feelings on the matter, her response a variety of emotions like hurt, fear, and anger.

Lightning never seemed to care about anything, but that's what she wanted everyone to think, especially the people she worked for. A deep part of him had wanted to explain his reasons for dating Serah, but another part had wanted to push her reaction to the very limits, push so hard that she was close to snapping and them make his move. It was perhaps the most aggressive tactic he had ever used on a woman, but he had never had to fight to get one before either. When Snow wanted something, he always got it, and in this case, what he wanted was Lightning Farron.

_Stop it!_ she hissed in his mind. _  
><em>

_If I don't?_ he taunted back. Her blush deepened, and ignoring him was an impossibility at the moment. Neither of them understood this strange link, and it didn't seem to be happening with the others. He needed to rethink his strategy with Farron. It was apparent she didn't like the things normal girls did.

_You think?_ she snapped back at him, furious that she couldn't get him out of her head. Nope, Snow thought, struggling not to laugh at her. The way to obtaining this woman was going to cost him one hell of a sparring match with her, one he had no intentions of allowing her to win. _Like hell I won't!_

_And if you're wrong, _he fired back at her. _You've always wondered which of us is better, Farron._

_We already know you're the better Commander._

_Give me a break,_ he growled. _That man wouldn't have followed you if you didn't have leadership capabilities. Who is he? _Farron gave him a defiant look, careful not to tell him anything else, mentally or verbally. Snow's gaze drifted towards the man. He couldn't be more than 45, having little to no combat experience, at least he hadn't before joining up with Farron. Why did she burden herself with him? If that man thought he was going to have what he had been working so hard to obtain, he had another thing coming to him.

Yes, the woman agitated him like no other, and of all the people he wanted to protect, she normally resisted. The incident on the Vestige had not been a normal occurrence for either of them, reacting more to shield Serah than themselves. Still, he had made a valiant effort, and she hadn't stopped him.

_Did it ever occur to you that I didn't allow your help or your affections due to the Sanctums reaction if I had? They kill anyone or anything that gets too close, and that would have included Serah and/or you. Every choice I made, every sacrifice, to include putting her at an emotional distance, was to keep her a live.__  
><em>

_I take care of myself._

_Not against the Sanctum,_ she argued, her mind filled with haunting memories. He saw an image of two people, a man and a woman, but before he could analyze what he was seeing or why, she quickly shifted her thoughts to something else, her entire body shaking.

* * *

><p>Sazh, unaware of what was going on with Snow or Lightning, turned around in full circles in a state of confusion, glancing at each of them in turn. "This must be... Lake Bresha?" His dark eyes were wide, and dazed. He didn't look like a fighter, but something had driven him to fight the fal'Cie just as it had Snow and Lightning. The man looked up at the Hanging Edge. "I guess we fell from up there, and the lake turned to crystal? Help me out here!" Normally one to make sense of everything, he whirled to the others, looking for an explanation to the impossible. "I mean did the fal'Cie do this?" Whirling on Lightning, as if she should have the answers, "How in the world did we end up here?"<p>

Snow shouldn't have felt himself relieved at her next response, but his entire body seemed to relax. Still grieving for her sister, she seemed withdrawn and moody, a definite contrast to the Soldier girl from the Hanging Edge. Now that her purpose had been taken from her, she had no idea what to do or where to go. _Does she even know how to cry_? Snow thought.

_Like you'll ever find out!_ She shot back. Yep, Snow was definitely going to use this new ability of there's to his advantage. No, he wasn't going to dig for information she wasn't ready or willing to give, but that didn't mean he had to make the rest of this any easier. She tried so hard to avoid him, but not now. If she thought someone wasn't watching, she had no reason to hide what she was feeling.

Lightning jerked away from Sazh, anger flashing in her unusual colored eyes. Now that Snow thought about it, why was her hair and eye color different than other people from Cocoon. The normal color was brown or blue. The girl was like her as well, with pink hair and green eyes as well. He tried to figure out why, but he had never really had a reason to research different eye or hair colors. "How should I know?" she half-choked, half-snapped. Everyone called her 'Super Soldier,' a Soldier with a heart of ice. How did someone live a life so alone and why? His protective side wanted to pull her close and make her feel safe despite the pain she kept buried deep inside. The fighter side wanted to have that fight between them, the one that had been waiting to happen for the past year.

The boy couldn't be no more than 14 or 15, while the girl was probably 16 or 17. She didn't seem as affected with the past several hours, always smiling, and hopping around as if nothing in the world could get her down. Regardless, this wasn't a place to have them, and if they didn't get moving soon, they were sitting targets for PSICOM.

"We're alive," the girl whispered, a smile of relief on her young face. She hadn't expected to survive the battle on the Vestige, but they had, and she didn't seem to care that they were now on the surface instead of above. If he had things to do different, he would have kept the kids on the stairs below, away from the last fight. "How?"

Snow had heard plenty of fairy tales about the l'Cie that completed their focus, and he wanted to think that Serah had somehow managed to save them. "Serah!" he exclaimed. "No one survives a fall from that high, not without a miracle!" He looked around to everyone else, wanting them to believe him also. It was clear that they didn't, especially Lightning. That shouldn't have surprised him, but it did and it angered him. She was the last person that needed to doubt him at this point, especially after... It did no good to stay in the past. They needed to move forward, but that fight was going to happen, whether now, or later wasn't an issue.

He still blamed her for not believing in her sister, but he kept that thought carefully contained. Snow didn't want witnesses to their fight, nor would she. It was a matter of pride between them, a battle of wills to determine the better leader and commander. However, his rules were probably on the barbaric side. What he fought, he always claimed some sort of reward afterwards. Whether it was satisfaction, money, or in this case her... "Serah saved us!"

"Serah?" Lightning screamed back, whirling and storming up to him. Perhaps they would fight here and now after all. He had no idea his eyes had a slight, red glow in them, confirming to Farron that something had happened to them. She should have backed down then, but her blood was wanting this fight as much as he did, far more than normal. Despite his speech, she had a strong hunch that their savior had been none other than the dying fal'Cie, why she had no idea.

As much as she didn't want to do it, she used their mental link and almost jumped away from Snow. Swirling like a maelstrom was a need for violence and dominance, and it was mostly directed at her. They had been on the verge of battling each other for quite some time now, but with a combination of l'Cie power and influence, all their emotions has been amplified to extreme levels. He couldn't want her that badly; could he? A flicker of annoyance flashed in his mind, but it was gone before she could focus on it.

Up close, she found that he wasn't the idiot she had thought of him. The Sanctum and PSICOM had greatly underestimated him. Perhaps that had been her fault; she had hidden all her intelligence on him. Afraid for Serah, she had done her own investigation, keeping it quiet and out of the hands of the people that never stopped watching her every move. Snow had a reputation as a ladies man, or he had been before she had showed up. From what information she had managed to find, he hadn't dated a woman since her arrival in Bodhum, not until Serah.

As far as she knew, they were boyfriend and girlfriend in name only, having never done anything past hanging out, or holding hands. As far as his military operations, he had enough fire power back in Bodhum to take out the entire Corps, and anything that tried to bring in reinforcements. Before anyone found out, he would have fortified and cut off every entry point in the city. This man thought on a tactical and strategic level, and he had the funds to last indefinitely, and he had the perfect recruits.

The Sanctum, not wanting the responsibility of taking in more orphans than they had to, allowed Snow to do it for them. Snow offered them food, clothing, and an education. If the children, once they turned of an appropriate age, wanted to leave, he didn't stop them. However, if they chose to stay, he found them suitable work that fit the needs of the organization. Lebreau ran a cafe, Gadot was a bouncer for the local bars, and she had no idea what Serah's job was.

The last several days had been a living hell for Snow, starting the day he found out about the brand on Serah's arm. His first reaction had been to toss her out of NORA, but he hadn't founded it to suddenly go against every core belief he had. NORA's soul purpose was to protect individuals like her, and having known her for a couple of years, he knew without any doubt that she wasn't a danger to Cocoon. There had been some terrible mistake, and wanting to help her, he had chosen to make several sacrifices of his own, not just for Serah or NORA, but for Lightning as well.

He hadn't agreed that Serah should have told Lightning in the first place, wanting to keep PSICOM away from her as much as possible. What Snow didn't realize though, if they had tried to run, PSICOM would have picked her up immediately, and she cringed at the amount of pain they would have inflicted in order to figure out why Snow and Serah had left the city.

There were shadows beneath his eyes, and the image of a woman falling kept replaying in his mind over and over again. Lightning felt a strange connection to that woman, but most of her memories were of when she was younger, and she tried not to bring her past up more than she had to. Snow hadn't wanted her to fight, but she had done so because of her child. Her last request was to get him home, and Snow felt more guilt when he realized the boy was probably still with Gadot and the other members of NORA. Promise after promise he had broken, and yet he still refused to give up.

Snow, before today, seemed so optimistic, and she saw evidence of the laugh lines on his face. Lightning was tempted to run her fingers across each one of them, appalled that she was even thinking about it. She had to take a step back, almost tempted to give him the fight they were both craving. Lightning had always avoided that confrontation in the past, and had no idea why the need was so strong now. At this point, she knew it wasn't his fault that Serah had been marked a l'Cie, that she had turned into a crystal, or that the people from the trains had died in the span of a couple of hours.

And yet despite all the reasons not to give him this fight, she found herself fueling it regardless. "Listen. It's all your fault she got-"

Lightning saw the response she wanted from him, bracing herself for the full impact of the storm, but once again something interrupted them. It happened on the Vestige as well, just after she had struck him in the jaw. Why hadn't anyone realized they were being surrounded and approached by several Cie'th? The one hovering over her was larger than the ones she had fought, and normally it wouldn't have been a problem, but she didn't have out her gun blade.

Frozen, a first for her, she simply watched as it raised its arm to strike down at her. One blow would be all it needed to kill her, and she briefly considered letting it.

Snow, as much as he wanted to put Farron in her place, had no intentions of letting something hurt her. She should have already pulled out her gun blade, but it was her momentary confusion that had him moving. Lightning wasn't fighting back, not because she was afraid of the Cie'th, but because she was torn between needing to avenge Serah and the people of Bodhum, or ending the horrible emotional pain she was in. For years she had been subjected to torture and cruelty by the Sanctum, and this was a sure way to make it stop.

She was terrified that PSICOM wouldn't kill her if they managed to capture them, and she had no desire to go back to one of their facilities. All of these thoughts ran through her mind, unable to censor them, and on pure instinct he wrapped his arm around her waist and thrust her behind himself, his arms raised in an X block.

Lightning stared at his back, her mouth wide open. Not only had he moved several yards in less than a second, but when the thing struck him, it didn't seem to phase him at all. A normal human wouldn't have been able to take the crushing blow, but Snow wasn't normal any longer, a strange light blazing to life in the palm of his left hand. Everything he did next was based on pure instinct, and with one slam against the Ghast's chest, she watched it lift off the ground, flying back and falling several feet away and broken in half.

And she had wanted to fight him? Was she completely out of her mind? He had been like a human shield, mixed with incredible power to bring down his opponents. She knew something had happened after they had fought the l'Cie, but it still wasn't an easy pill to swallow. Everyone, with the exception of Lightning, stared at him with a mixture of shock and fear. In her eyes, Snow only saw a sad acceptance, as if she realized what attacking the fal'Cie had cost them. Perhaps the dying citizens of Bodhum had not been their fault. Serah turning into a l'Cie, had not been their fault. However, if all of them had been marked a l'Cie, both Lightning and Snow would have to live with that knowledge for the rest of their lives. It wasn't so much that they had been cursed, but the two kids and Sazh in their company.

The kids and the old man had been looking for a way to get away from the conflict, not to be inadvertently drawn into it further. Snow, at this point also realized what had saved them from the fall, and it hadn't been Serah. The mark on his arm continued to glow, and Snow stared at it with a mixture of horror and fascination. "What did I... just do?" He asked more for his own benefit, but it seemed Hope was willing to answer, and not without unbridled hatred.

Hope, finally coming out of his moping session, surged to his feet and glared at him. Snow had no idea what he had done to generate this kind of animosity, and it was nothing like how Lightning saw him. "You used magic!" He wanted to ask what the boy's problem was, but more Cie'th had taken the place of the one he had destroyed. Regardless of how the kid felt, he grabbed Vanille and Hope, thrusting them behind Lightning and himself. "You used the power of a l'Cie!"

It amazed him how many there were, as if the destruction of the Vestige had released them from a long slumber. Once a l'Cie turned into a Cie'th, he or she gained eternal life just like those that turned to crystal. However, unlike those turned to crystal, the Cie'th were no longer human, and weren't able to die unless someone killed them. Their souls were forever trapped in fear, confusion and anger. "The fal'Cie cursed us! We're l'Cie now!" the boy screamed!

Snow almost back handed the kid to shut up. Granted, the kid was young, but now was not the time to have a panic attack. You fight, or you die; life wasn't always pretty, and people got hurt or killed during times of conflict or war. Lightning, the old man, and the girl seemed to know this as they lined up beside him, knowing what they needed to do in order to survive. It was then that he saw why she had allowed the man to tag along. It wasn't because she was fond or in love with him; the man had proven himself and when push came to shove, he pushed back with his two pistols he kept in their leg holsters.

Fighting was her way of releasing unfamiliar emotions of grief and rage. Drawing her gun blade, she felt herself calm, centering herself, as the battle commenced. "Right," she muttered. Snow hated it, wanting to break through every emotional barrier she had erected over the years. In minutes, the Cie'th fell before them, piling up. What ever they had become, it was definitely nothing to trifle with when teamed up. If she had any qualms about him using hand-to-hand combat, she quickly realized he was not only effective with his hands, but deadly. Each punch had a lot of force behind it, and what he hit, went down.

Snow seemed invincible, as if nothing could hurt him. What would it be like to have his charm, people that trusted you completely, and would willingly take a bullet for you without wanting something back in return. He had that, with NORA, Serah... Lightning had only herself to rely on, not a single person she could call friend. As they fought, she quietly studied him, and the l'Cie magic seemed to make his blue eyes glow even more blue. Cleaning up the rest of the Cie'th.

She had been such a fool to think Snow wanted to marry Serah. It was all an act to distract the Sanctum away from her. Rumors were echoing throughout the unit that Snow had his sites set on someone, but they had never told her who it was. At first she had thought it was Serah, but with the way the other male Soldiers had acted around her, she started to wonder if Snow had something to do with them avoiding her. All she knew was that anyone stupid enough to mess with what Snow deemed his, had a death wish. Not even the Guardian Corps brushed paths with the paramilitary commander, and she saw why. Outward appearances had him as cheerful, arrogant, and cocky. In combat, he was a ruthless killing machine and she wondered if she had the skill to take him or not. It would be a close match, his height and weight not a disadvantage, and if she didn't have a weapon in her hands... She seriously needed to work on her unarmed combat skills more.

With the threat gone, the mark on his arm faded. Snow stared at it with a mixture of emotions dancing across his face: fear, curiosity, and gratefulness. It was the latter one that surprised her, but at the same time, she understood. Snow always went out of his way to protect others, to include herself, now was no different, even when he was furious with her.

"So we really are l'Cie," Snow stated. Lightning decided not to answer the obvious, already turning and walking away. Her anger momentarily sated, she let the others try to make sense of their fate, leaving her out of it.

The older man slid his shirt aside a little, a mark on his chest. "Looks like it..."

Snow sighed, not liking the predicament they were in. Turning to the girl, he asked the same question. "You to?"

She didn't tell him that she had already been marked long before all of this started, but she didn't have to hide it anymore at least. Lifting her skirt slightly and revealing far more thigh than he cared for, she showed her mark. "Right here."

"Okay," he coughed, quickly turning around. He definitely wasn't one to find himself interested in kids. Lightning found herself strangely relieved of the fact, which further reinforced her suspicions. Snow wouldn't have taken advantage of Serah, not as young as she was. So why the elaborate lie? Why had they gone through so much trouble to pretend that they were a couple?

_You already know why._ She decided to ignore that, but Snow wasn't about to let her get away with it for long.

"L'Cie to the last," Lightning whispered, as if she expected something like this. Was this their punishment for attacking the fal'Cie? Once again, Hope sank to his knees, and his dramatics were getting a bit out of hand. Were all boys this whiny, or just this one in particular?

"Why me?" he whimpered. Snow wanted to ask the same damn thing. Other than the boy, no one else seemed to scream or cry about their unlucky fate. What good did it do? Hope jerked his head up and glared at Lightning; "I don't even know you! But you have to go and attack that thing?" The kid did have a valid point. Glancing away, Snow didn't have anything to say back in response. If they had simply left, it was possible none of them would have been marked, but would they have survived the ground below, or the battle on the Hanging Edge otherwise? "Just leave me alone!" If that were an option, he might have agreed, but this was not a place to abandon a scared and spoiled little rich kid. Judging by his clothes, that was exactly what he was. This kid, never having to do a day of hard work in his life, had been forced to grow up and he was fighting it with everything he had. "It's your fault-" Snow wouldn't deny that, thinking he was still talking about the curse. "It's your fault my-" His gloved fingers clenched tightly together. "You could've-" Lunging to his feet, as if he were going to attack Snow... "All of this is your and Serah's fault!"

Even Lightning knew better than to tell that to Snow. In the beginning, she would have agreed with Hope, but not after everything she had witnessed. This had been too carefully thought out, the Purge, the fire fight, and the execution of thousands without a second moment's hesitation. What had the Sanctum been working at, and was it the threat of the fal'Cie that had them purging an entire town, or the threat of discovering something far more delicate? As much as she hated the fal'Cie, it had chosen them, not to mention depositing them onto Lake Bresha instead of letting them fall to their deaths. The question was why?

Snow's 'nice-boy' act completely vanished, replaced with so much rage that had Hope scampering back on his rear, bumping into Lightning. "Watch it!" he roared back. She wanted to say that she felt sorry for the kid, but she only crossed her arms, glaring down at him. This was the Snow that everyone failed to see, the person she had tried to warn the Guardian Corps about, but no one had believed her. He was ruthless, but not in the way of hurting people without reason. No, she was afraid of him on other levels; as a Soldier, and as a woman. The latter terrified her, and therefore, it was perhaps not the best idea to engage in a battle of wills with him.

The first time she had bumped into Snow, before he had started dating her sister or recruited her, she felt small and inadequate. Hours were spent in training, wanting to measure up, to have the same fluid grace and skill that he possessed. Snow had no official military training, and yet he made tactical decisions and combat moves that were pure genius. The other thing in his favor, was his selfless drive to help others, to include Serah.

Lightning definitely agreed with Snow on this one, however. No one had any right to bring her sister into this and if he hadn't been a kid, she might have considered running him through to shut his insane crying up. She had never had an opportunity to cry like this brat, and doubted that she even knew how. Tears were beaten out of her a long time ago, but those were memories she quickly locked away, not wanting to re-live them.

Turning over, he covered his head and started crying. All of them, with the exception of the young girl, wanted to simply wash their hands of him. Instead, Vanille touched his shoulders with a reassuring touch, much like a mother would her own son. The effect on him was instant, and the boy stilled, his tears slowing. Touching his forehead, as if a headache were building; "Sorry," he growled, not really meaning it.

Hope glanced up into her green eyes. How did she make the pain easier when all he wanted was to lash out at everyone else? "Everything is gonna be all right. You'll see..." She couldn't bring back his mother, but something in her gaze told him that she understood what he was going through, but how? She seemed so happy all the time, but Hope started to think she was putting on a well orchestrated act and she only showed what she wanted everyone to see. Pulling him to his feet and getting him to focus on surviving rather than crying; "Come on! Off we go!"

_Thank god!_ Lightning and Snow thought at the same time. If Vanille's only purpose was to keep next to the boy and keep him calm, then Lightning had no qualms of allowing her the task.


	31. Reflections - Part Sixteen

(Reflections - **Present**)

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><p><strong>Part Sixteen<strong>

She still couldn't get over how much he had changed; gone was the kid that had screamed about his fate, and cursing all l'Cie. In his place was a calm and intelligent man, toned with years of running and working out despite a deceptive calm that sometimes fell over the people when they defeated an enemy. Only in his case, that hadn't happened on the second round, tied to fate as he had traveled through time to help Noel, Serah, and the two women trapped inside of the crystal pillar. One of those women had been herself, and at first, she had resented the fact that he had done so at all. Reaching to hang the last streamer, her foot caught on the tail and she slipped, and eyes going wide, she watched the ground come rushing towards her.

Closing her eyes, too afraid to scream, she fell. However, instead of hitting concrete, she felt only a pair of arms scoop her up. "You always did manage to find trouble," he teased. Without even thinking about it, she rested her head against his chest, trying to find the words, to tell him how sorry she was; that tricking him into going inside that Vestige had been the cruelest and most selfish thing she had ever done.

"I hate it when you get that look," he gently told her.

"Which one?"

"The one where you think you've committed a terrible sin that's beyond any type of forgiveness."

"And what if I have?"

"Okay, so list off your terrible crimes, Vanille."

"I'm serious!" she tried to tell him, wanting him to hate her. It was the least that she deserved; wasn't it?

"And I'm not?"

"Don't..." she pleaded, unable to help herself from touching his face. She had thought he was cute as a 15 year old kid; cute wasn't the word anymore. He was handsome and kind, and everything that she wasn't. "All of this is my fault..."

"What? The end of an old world, and the beginning of a new one. Try again... that's not your sin to carry."

"But... I'm the one that asked Fang and I to become a l'Cie! We're the ones that damaged Cocoon the first time! It's my fault Dajh and Serah were branded, all because I didn't want to kill anymore people! It's my fault you were inside the Vestige, and it's my fault you were branded! You lost your mom! Those people were purged! And Cocoon fell anyway! I wake up, and our sacrifice didn't change anything! The end of the world happened anyway..."

"That's a lot of crimes," he mocked agreed.

"Hope! Could you take this seriously?"

"Why did you become a l'Cie, Vanille? Did you suddenly wake up one morning and go 'I want to kill off an entire planet?"

"No..."

"Well you did become a l'Cie. Why?"

"We thought we were protecting our home?"

"Who told you that?"

"A fal'Cie, but..."

"Stop it," Hope told her firmly. "The fal'Cie wanted the end of the world to bring back Bhunivelze. If you hadn't become a l'Cie, someone else would have. The Purge would have happened regardless; and I could later only find myself grateful that it had been you to get me off that platform, moving and fighting rather than laying down to die. I would have never made it Vanille, and I don't think you would have either. You went back to either turn Cie'th, or find a way home: didn't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Did it ever dawn on you; that if you hadn't gone to Cocoon, you would have been like the rest of Oerba; a Cie'th? I saw the same place everyone else did, Vanille. There was nothing; several of the fal'Cie had joined together, wanting the destruction of both worlds, not just Cocoon. It was the only way to bring back Bhunivelze. Very few fal'Cie, like Bhunivelze, had compassion for humans. The one that helped Snow become a l'Cie again was one of the few. It gave him a Focus to protect Serah and Light, and he managed to do that for nearly five hundred years." Setting her down, he retained possession of her waist, and when she tried to lower her gaze, he gently grasped her chin to look at him. "I have a lot of regrets; meeting you isn't one of them."

Gasping, she almost bolted like a rabbit, but Hope was starting to realize that when Vanille got scared or skiddish, she wanted to hide. "You really want to make it up to me?" Taking her hand, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it, never once taking his gaze from hers. "Honor me with a dinner date, and I'll call our debt even."

"Me?"

"Do you see any other red heads, with green eyes, to go with?"

"No, but..."

"You wanted a way to redeem yourself; that's my price."

She couldn't help but smile, and if he was so willing to forgive her, how could she fault him for that. Yes, she had liked Hope as a child, but she was starting to fall for this older version of himself. "Okay..."

"Good." Lightning, finally made her appearance, moving towards Lebreau and Serah, whispering something. Jumping up and down, they quickly grabbed Lightning's hand and rushed to the party guest houses; "What's up?"

"The signal to hide," Vanille laughed. Nodding to Fang, everyone suddenly finished up last minute details and made themselves scarce. "Just one last thing..."

"What's that?" Hope asked. Stepping behind him, she pushed him towards the house. "Keep him busy."

"Wha-? Why me?!" Vanille started to laugh, already running towards Fang. That was the Hope she remembered, and everything felt just a little bit better, like there was room to breathe and grow mentally and emotionally strong again.


	32. A Vision Shared

A Vision Shared

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><p>Still staring at his arm a lot, she heard Snow mutter about being a l'Cie, as if he couldn't wrap his mind around it. So why did he seem kind of happy that he had power all of a sudden? And Sazh wasn't much better, spouting off that they were playing for Team Pulse, as if all of this were some kind of game!<p>

Why the hell would they joke about this? Lightning was furious that something so small had the ability to make her a slave, as if she hadn't resented PSICOM and the Sanctum doing it to her since she was 16. The brand wasn't a chained collar or wrist band, but it was still a shackle none-the-less, identifying her as a Pulse servant. Would she have to harm Cocoon in order to become a crystal?

_Serah didn't; so why would we have to? _As much as she wanted to believe Snow, she wasn't crazy enough to think that the five of them being branded in the fal'Cie's last moment was anything more than a way for them to attack and destroy Cocoon. She had seen what they were capable of when they worked together. It was terrifying, and now as a l'Cie, a normal human wouldn't have a chance at taking them out. The problem was, that if she had no idea what her Focus was, or how to complete it, then she couldn't try to counter and defy it either. Just moving towards the Vestige might be giving the fal'Cie what it wanted. With a heavy sigh, she realized that getting the answers she wanted, she'd have to set her pride aside, and allow an unfamiliar soft side make its appearance. _What are you up to? _Snow demanded, almost making her smile. If nothing else, this would definitely make it harder for him to figure her out.

Playing the nice-guy was Snow's territory, not hers. For awhile, she simply allowed Snow to take the lead, content on taking the rear of their formation. She didn't have any doubts that he'd spot anything ahead, and she didn't trust any of the others to watch their rear. Sazh would just shout what was that, the boy might drop into another panic, and Vanille's reaction was unknown. The girl seemed rather upbeat for everything going on around them, even more than Snow.

Snow was so damn tall, and she didn't hate him like he thought she did. The fight with the fal'Cie had changed her perception of him, and with a sad acceptance, she had to admit that he was everything that she was not. Regardless if his ideologies were nonsense and naive, everyone followed him, to include the boy that seemed to resent him for odd reasons. Snow hadn't had to work for everyone's love and affection, not like Lightning who always had to watch her back.

The only way for a female Soldier to survive was to push aside things like hurt or pain. The weak didn't survive the Guardian Corps, and the way to advance was to keep your mouth shut, emotions buried, and to brutally end any kind of disrespect. That had always been her way, but she wasn't Corps anymore. What was she? She wouldn't classify herself as a civilian or a member of NORA; was she what the Corps referred to ex-Soldiers as a mercenary? That made more sense, meaning that she made her own rules from here on out, no longer obligated to follow the ones given by the Corps or PSICOM.

Lightning had easily rose through the ranks, and a lot of people referred to her as a robot, immune to affection or desire. It wasn't that she didn't want it. Lightning just never thought that was her fate. The only thing that mattered was surviving, ensuring Serah had food in her mouth and didn't end up like her parents. Before Serah had joined with NORA, Lightning had no real feelings for or against Snow, she just didn't want to hang around him.

What he had so easily, she had to struggle for and she resented him for it. NORA wasn't even an authorized military group, but PSICOM had allowed it, stating them a non-threat. The way she saw it, he was a threat to everything Guardian Corps stood for, and he undermined them with his defiance and refusal to obey rules and regulations.

_That's not quite true. NORA does stand for no obligations for rules or authority, but that's directed towards the Sanctum. We did have rules, and we did have obligations, but they were always for the will of the people. Can you honestly state the same for PSICOM?_

_The Corps protected the citizens._

_The Corps only protected them if they had money, which wasn't very often. Bodhum wasn't a priority to fund for the Sanctum, and most of the weapons you had were outdated and useless. Essentially, we could have taken over that town at any point, but we didn't, because the people didn't need a military dictatorship running them. They already had that with PSICOM and the Sanctum._

He was right and she knew it, but admitting it was a completely different story. He said that PSICOM and the Corps weren't for the will of the people, and he proved himself right when PSICOM tried to murder the entire town. She still had no idea how many had survived, if any, and PSICOM wasn't going to stop until everyone that had been processed and boarded onto the train had been found and accounted for. Files indicated that Snow had been raised in a Sanctum facility, often getting into trouble, and openly opposed to the government long before he formed NORA. He refused to back a government that turned it's back on them, and couldn't care if they lived or died. If PSICOM cared, why would they allow harmful monsters to exist outside the city, praying on innocent men and women as they gathered fruit and water.

It wasn't PSICOM that policed up criminal activities like theft, rape or murder. Guardian Corps tried, but there wasn't enough of them to go around, and therefore, Snow saw it as his right to do what was necessary to keep the people safe. She had been powerless to stop him, not without the backing of her superiors, her protests falling on deaf ears. The moment Serah had joined NORA, any neutrality she had towards Snow ended instantly.

The harder she protested against her being a member, the more stubborn Serah and Snow became, as if rubbing it in her face that she had no power over them. She was nothing, and it hurt to see that Serah had thrown all her hard work and years of sacrifices aside as if none of that mattered. What did Serah care if Lightning had suffered broken bones, nights without food because she wasn't fast or brutal enough to take it during training? She was thin and toned from years of training, but Serah didn't understand.

Lightning was gone for several weeks to months at a time, and Snow had replaced that part of her life where she had once been. It had hurt so much, that when she had taken time off to spend it with Serah, to discover she had been marked as a l'Cie and Snow had proposed to her, all she could feel was a sense of betrayal. Snow had sworn to keep people safe, and the one person that mattered to her had been cursed, as a Pulse l'Cie, and she was either going to die as a monster, turn to crystal, or PSICOM would kill her... just like...

The kid had been right; if they had left the fal'Cie alone, and simply walked away, as much as it would have hurt to tell Serah good-bye, none of them would have been dragged into her personal vendetta. If she hadn't been so cruel towards Snow and Serah, would she have been spared? It was like Serah had been trying to prove to Lightning that she was just as capable of making her own decisions and as a result... The guilt overwhelmed Lightning, and no one saw the tear sliding down her pale cheeks.

Savagely she wiped it aside, terrified he might turn around and see it. She might respect the qualities in him that she didn't have, but she still resented him. He had spent precious moments and days with her sister, and she'd never get those moments back. Lightning's last words had been hurtful, and she hated herself most of all. Perhaps she should go her own way; if PSICOM took her out, it was what she deserved; wasn't it?

_Light..._

_Don't. _If she was going to have a breakdown, she didn't need him making it any worse by trying to pity her now.

_You think I pity you? _Snow demanded. Suddenly, Lightning was grateful that he was towards the front, and her in the back. If she had been anywhere close to him, there wouldn't have been a guarantee about his reaction in front of the others.

Pushing that thought aside as well, she surged forward, a lightness in her demeanor that Snow instantly became suspicious of. Why did she always feel as if he saw right through her, but she ignored the feelings he stirred. She decided to have a level of indifference towards him, and that was how she was going to keep things between them. _These kids and that idiot you picked up might buy the 'I don't give a crap' attitude, but beneath it all, your emotions are extremely intense and the harder you fight against them, the easier you're going to make my job in the end._

Snow's reaction to her wasn't getting any weaker, and the link that had mentally connected them, was complicating things. What confused her was why the others didn't seem to have the same link. Or did they and they were keeping quiet about it? She wanted to ask, but if they didn't have mental links, she didn't want to give away that kind of detail about Snow and herself. On an emotional level she was terrified of it, but on a tactical level, it might save their life one day. And right now, they didn't have a lot of high playing cards to work with. This was their one and only Ace and she was going to hold on to it with everything that she had.

"Okay, if we don't know our Focus, how do we complete it?"

Vanille, for the first time, felt a surge of hope when these people had been branded by the fal'Cie. Unlike the rest of them, she didn't see the fal'Cie as good or bad, not in the same way. No, she wasn't happy about being branded, nor did she like the thought of one day turning into a Cie'th, but was there a chance that she could avoid her fate and Focus as a l'Cie if she stayed with them?

Something was happening that was bigger than all of them, and it seemed that Serah's entire Focus had been to get these people together and moving towards the fal'Cie to do it. It might not have needed Hope or Sazh, but it needed people like Lightning and Snow, people that were determined to fight. Had the fal'Cie chose them because they were against entities like PSICOM and the Sanctum. She didn't even really understand why the War of Transgression had started, and at one point, she had even thought the people of Cocoon were her enemies. Now she knew that wasn't the case. It was something else, and the fal'Cie had confirmed that. But if Cocoon wasn't the purpose of her Focus, what was it?

Like it or not, all of them were now tied together for one purpose, and it was important they tried to figure it out. At least she didn't have to worry about trying to hide her mark anymore, but she still wasn't about to reveal the fact that she wasn't from here, but from the very place they still considered a danger and the reason for their troubles. In all honesty, people started turning into l'Cie after they had awoken and PSICOM infiltrated the Vestige.

They had already been inside; was that why the fal'Cie had awakened them? As far as any of them knew, she had been marked on the same day and at the same time. She feared that if they truly knew what had happened thirteen days ago, and how all of this had started, they'd no longer see her as a friend or a kid, but a true and hated enemy of Cocoon. Still, she wanted free of her Focus as well, something she thought had happened after she had awakened from her crystal sleep. Instead, their Focus had changed, hers and Fangs, and it angered her that she still had the fear of turning into a Cie'th clawing at her. Had Fang made it out? Fang said she'd no longer turn, but that didn't make Vanille worry any less. Those fears threatened to come rushing out of her, rather than the happy and upbeat child they all thought of her as.

Did she stay silent, or did she try to make the best of her situation and try to make them see her as a friend and not an enemy? Would they even care if they discovered the truth about her? "I think... I saw it." She already knew her vision, and it was enough to give them an idea of what they hadn't yet grasped. She didn't know if she had the same visions as them, but they didn't need to know that, only how to start on the right path. So many of her friends were now dead? Were her and Fang the last two people from the world of Pulse? The thought horrified her so badly that she didn't want to even contemplate going to sleep for awhile, not until she was so exhausted, she wouldn't have to concern herself with the nightmares.

Lightning turned to her, her expression encouraging. "Saw what?" She tried not to look at Snow, nor did she want to see the confusion and suspicion in his blue gaze. This wasn't a normal characteristic of hers, not one of compassion and understanding. _What are you up to_? He asked again. She didn't blame him either. However, she also knew that he wanted the same answers, and chose to say nothing as he allowed the others to talk. Briefly, she wondered if he had joined the Guardian Corps if he might have fallen in the same unit, or if he would have raised through the ranks just as quickly? Snow had a brilliant mind, and appeared invincible.

_Why would I have anything to do with the Sanctum's military?_

Snow had no idea what she was up to, Lightning struggling to keep him out of her mind, and he found himself impressed that she was adapting so quickly to their newly found ability. However, if they were willing to talk, he wasn't about to stop her. Still, he almost wanted to see her like this more often, approachable, and part of a team. That's the part that bothered him. She was only acting this way to get the answers she wanted, but Serah insisted that Lightning hadn't always been so cold and harsh.

Lightning didn't help other kids, she didn't help dispatch wild monsters outside the city, and she avoided giving affection to Serah for most of her life. A wave of guilt and sorrow slammed into him, Lightning unable to hide it from him. She was picking up on his thoughts and it was eating away at her, but she didn't offer him an explanation either; why did she have to; it wasn't like he'd understand. The man that had been traveling with Lightning, took over for Vanille, the girl going quiet again.

That gave him something to think about. Why had the man been following Lightning? If she had been as cold and harsh as most of her unit stated, she would have never tried to keep him alive, let alone allowed him to follow her all the way inside of the Vestige. So why had she ignored Serah for so long? He remembered her telling him that the Sanctum was always watching her. Damn it he wanted answers, and he had a strong feeling he'd get them if he tried, but that was something he wasn't going to force out of her, at least not through the mental link.

This didn't seem like a man that would follow someone like Lightning, not unless he had completely misjudged her. Lightning was giving him nothing, but she was also avoiding his intense scrutiny. If he had half an hour alone with her- damn this war, damn the curse, and damn her! Now wasn't the time, but he had every intention on pushing her barriers to the breaking point, demand why she had left Serah alone for so long and why she seemed so intent on hating him? _I don't hate you._

"That is how a Focus comes down, people." He lifted his hands like a professor would do in a classroom, as if he were giving a lesson to his students and insisted on all of them paying attention if they wanted to pass. "The fal'Cie don't spell it out with clear-cut instructions. All you get is a hazy glimpse."

For the first time, neither of them realizing that they were agreeing with each other, both crossed their arms and stared at Sazh. His expression changed from all knowing to guilt and discomfort. Where had he gotten his information and was it accurate? "Uh huh..." They said in unison. Sazh, if he didn't know better, would think that these two were a couple, but judging from her supposed dislike of Snow, and the contempt in his blue eyes when he thought she wasn't paying attention, Sazh quickly dismissed that thought. These two were so much alike, and yet there was this unspoken barrier between them that kept them from being friends or at least allies.

He had a strong feeling it had to do with Lightning's sister, the girl she had fought an entire army and fal'Cie to get to. He would have done the same for Dahj, but this was different. There was a deep hurt in Lightning that she didn't want to acknowledge, and Snow seemed to blame her for something that she had failed to do. They didn't trust each other enough to ask the other for help, but they were both warriors in their own fashion, even if they approached how to protect others in a different manner. They had subconsciously moved closer to each other, both of them focused on Sazh.

What he had never told, nor had Lightning ever asked, was that Sazh had personal experience with the fal'Cie curse. Not eight days before the Purge, something very precious to him, had been marked, and taken by the Sanctum. They had promised to find a cure; instead, he had ended up on the train to Pulse. Not ready to talk about it, he coughed uncomfortably.

"Well, that's what they say. You know, legends and all." He quickly turned away from their all too seeing eyes, his hands going to his hips, still muttering about Legends. Snow glanced at her through his side vision; like this, she seemed almost approachable, but he knew better than to think this side of her would last. Still, he wanted to see where this was going to go and continued to remain silent. She shifted, but was it because she was uncomfortable and aware that he was studying her, or just needing to take the pressure off her back and feet. They had been fighting for what seemed like an eternity, and there wasn't a guarantee that none of them hadn't suffered injuries from the fall. Was she hurt and just hiding it? Why the hell did he care?

Calmly, as if she was processing the information, she turned her gaze on the boy. Hope had stopped crying, quietly walking behind Vanille before Lightning had stopped them. "Did you see anything?" she asked him softly, her voice almost a compulsion. Snow had to contain his surprise, amazed that he even wanted to do what she asked and answer himself. If he didn't know her so well, he'd have to think her interest genuine.

To make matters worse, it was a compulsion, but she wasn't even aware that she was doing it. _Intersting, _he thought. _What else can we do? _Lightning glanced at him, but they needed the answers. The boy wanted to look away, still scared, and green behind the ears. Snow almost rolled his eyes. How did parents justify not teaching their kids a little more about life, sheltering them instead? Still, he seemed willing enough to answer, something he wouldn't have done if Snow had asked. This kid, like Lightning, seemed to dislike him for unknown reasons, and it bothered him more than he cared to admit.

_I already told you... I don't hate you..._

_Really?_ This time she did laugh, and getting anything else from that statement wasn't going to happen with so many around.

"I uh... it's all kind of foggy, but..." Snow cupped his chin, trying to process Hope's explanation. "I saw this big- I mean towering-"

All of them, with the exception of the girl, turned to the kid as he continued talking. "W-wait a minute." Sazh rushed up to them, his eyes wide and scared. "Hold on now! Did we all have the same dream?"

When they weren't fighting over Serah or living in the past, Snow and Lightning often thought the same and in the same manner. Easily connecting the facts and the pieces, it didn't take much to realize that the fal'Cie had marked them all for a bigger purpose than to relay a message.

"Ragnarok!" They said in unison. A brief memory of their vision flashed before their minds, and they shuddered. It was dark again, with shadows and images flashing in their minds. The burning came back, in various locations on their bodies, reminding them of their role as fal'Cie slaves. Lightning resented it, wanting to rebel, but if she did, would she become a monster? She didn't want to become a crystal either, and what did the large image of Ragnarok mean?

"So," Sazh spoke, "we all saw the same dream. We all heard that same voice." Vanille whimpered, but she didn't say anything. Hope walked up to Sazh, for once an active and positive member of the group. It was a vast improvement from the crying kid a little while ago.

"You mean that was our Focus? But how are we supposed to know what to do from that?"

"That's the tricky part." Vanille found herself speaking, surprised that she had done so at all. She didn't want to give them anymore clues to how she knew all of this and they didn't, or her role either. Unlike them, she wanted to keep running from her fate, but for how long before she turned into a monster? "The dream is the only hint the fal'Cie gives us. Figuring out what to do with it-that's our job."

"Okay, okay... We're Pulse l'Cie, right? Enemies of Cocoon! So does that mean our Focus is-? Are we supposed to-" he didn't want to finish the question. He'd rather die than harm the people of Cocoon, but he didn't want to become a monster either.

"Save her."

"Say what?" Sazh demanded, caught off guard.

Any sort of common ground he might have had with Lightning was lost the moment he opened his mouth. Everyone saw that instantly. He didn't care. Damn her anyway. All that mattered was honoring Serah's last request before turning to Crystal, and Lightning had made that same promise, and he'd ensure she kept it. "Our Focus is to protect Cocoon."

Vanille looked at him with a new found hope, as if she had never thought he'd be the one to ally with first. He had protected Serah after finding out she was a Pulse l'Cie, and he had promised to carry out her request. Was there a chance that not all citizen's of Cocoon hated them? "Really? Okay, and why's that?" she wanted to hear his answer, hoping she was right about him. Was that also the reason Fang and herself had woken up on Cocoon rather than Pulse? Had they been branded again, to side with Cocoon this time instead of trying to destroy it?

Hope couldn't believe she was looking at him as if he were really a Hero. Why had she changed her mind? Her expression looked hopeful, not like he had first seen her on the Hanging Edge after his mother died. "Serah told us."

Lightning wanted to hit him again. How dare he bring her into this? Their vision or their lives had nothing to do with her sister. The fal'Cie had somehow managed to put them on Lake Bresha right before it died, hoping they'd carry out its last orders. What that order was; had yet to be seen.

"Let's do it," he asked them. "We're all in this together."

_Oh my god! They're going to listen and follow him! _She easily saw the decision on each of their faces, and like before, everyone would blindly follow this reckless idiot, regardless if his naive logic made any sense. It went against everything the Pulse fal'Cie represented. Why the hell would a fal'Cie want them to help Cocoon rather than destroy it?

"I'm gonna look for Serah! She ought to be nearby!" And he turned, already running down the crystal corridors. As if energized by Snow's false ideologies, Vanille went after him.

"I'll come too!" she shouted. "Wait!"

Sazh looked flabbergasted, but he too followed. "That boy can't stay still!"

"Really..." Hope agreed, the last to go after them. Lightning was the only one to remain where she was. Perhaps she was better off going alone. At least she wasn't going to fall beneath false delusions. Still, there was a deep part of her that wanted to say good-bye. She didn't believe her sister was still alive, at least not in the same sense that she recognized. To her, the crystal sleep was just another form of death and she had to let Serah go. Snow needed to do the same and the fact that he was happily going along with what the fal'Cie wanted enraged her.


	33. Reflections - Part Seventeen

(Reflections - **Present**)

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><p><strong>Part Seventeen<strong>

Snow towel dried his hair, and glanced at his reflection. He still looked rough around the edges, and once a naive and optimistic Commander; he now only saw a man desperate to keep the ones he cared for alive. He wanted to keep everyone safe, but that was impossible, but he would always strive to do the impossible regardless. Snow had no idea how he had managed to last so long with his sanity intact, and perhaps he had lost some of it, but 'she' had managed to find and bring most of it back.

He had been in Light's mind prior to their little sparring session, and that had definitely been Bhunivelze. How did the bastard still have a lock on her, and how had Cid Raines known? Was Cid a danger to Light? He had helped her time and time again, but he had also betrayed all of them to the fal'Cie. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a black tank top, he walked towards the kitchen, his exhaustion making everything seem sluggish. Eventually he needed to sleep, but he couldn't do it; not without her next to him. One moment of inattention had been all it had taken to rip her away from them and that still haunted him even now.

A small smile curved at the corners of his mouth, recalling something from the day they had first awakened on Lake Bresha. Their mental bond, so natural now, had come at a complete surprise. However, like the perfect Soldier, she had taken everything in stride, at least on the outside. Always one to respect her boundaries, he had never invaded her privacy, not taking information she wasn't willing to give him. His only regret that morning was Hope. He had thought the kid was just being a whiny brat; in reality, he had just lost his mother, to only find himself marked as a fal'Cie slave.

"Is everyone trapped in the past today?" a familiar voice asked.

Startled from his thoughts, he turned to see Hope standing in the door way that led to the back courtyard. All of them had been caught up in settling in sense waking in the new world. Hope, no longer a child, had returned to his original age of 21. The kid had grown up so much, and despite the losses and the unfairness of his fate, he had quickly come around with Lightning's help. He owed this kid so much... "Not really trapped in it, but keeping it close to remind myself of the mistakes not to make in the future."

"You'll just make new ones; it's what makes us human."

"Perhaps... I was thinking about that day we woke up, on Lake Bresha. All of us were angry and frightened... Hope..."

"Don't," Hope stopped him. "If I refuse to allow Vanille to apologize, then it's only fair to refuse yours as well. The past is the past, and we can only move on from here. Yes, it's a part of us, and yes we need to always keep it in the back of our minds. However, it does not control us, not if we don't allow it to."

"How can you so easily forgive us?" Snow demanded. "Because of us... you lost everything..."

"You see Snow..." Hope said, pushing himself away from the door frame, walking with a purpose towards the former Commander;' "That's where you're just as blind as Lightning and Vanille. I might have thought I had lost everything, but did I; or was that just an illusion? Yes, I lost my mother, and yes, I was marked a l'Cie that day. Out of that loss, I gained another famiily; Light... she's like an older sister to me. You... well you're hard to classify, but you never let me give up on myself. And well... Vanille... right after mom died, she just made the pain that much easier to cope with. Can I tell you a secret?"

"What?"

"As angry as I was; I still chose to continue following you guys. My mom's death was her choice, not yours, and also not your sin to carry." As long as he lived, Snow doubted he ever find anyone as kind and forgiving as the man before him; no longer a child, but a true leader. Hope wasn't the type to sit in the background, always determined to prevent events like the 'Purge.' "Is Light around?" Hope asked, wanting to change the subject.

_Light..._

_Outside near the guest houses._

_Why are you over there?_

Laughter was his only response, and with a frustrated sigh, he decided now was as good of a time as any to figure out why all his friends and Lightning were being so secretive. Frowning, he narrowed his gaze at Hope; "You wouldn't happen to know what she's up to; would you?"

"I'm simply here on request," Hope replied, evading the answer. Following Snow along the well kept path, flowers on either side, Hope couldn't help but smile. The party might have been for Snow's benefity, but everyone needed it, and it wasn't about taking advantage of someone's money or charity, or fame... It was about friendship and healing old wounds of the past. The people that had gathered today, would always have each other's back.

Coming around the corner, Snow froze, staring at the banner and the crowd gathered. "Happy Birthday!"

Too stunned to say anything, Snow watched as the crowd parted and let Lightning walk towards him. Sure she had always worn that stupid uniform of hers, far too short for his liking, but other than that, he had never caught her in a dress. Wearing a skirt made of grass and a halter top that exposed her shoulders and arms, flowers in her hair, was a woman he'd gladly fight for another eternity to claim.

Right behind her was Lebreau, Serah, Fang and Vanille, all the women dressed in a similar fashion. The theme was of a festival type that they used to have back in Bodhum, to celebrate the start of spring and new beginnings. He hadn't minded the celebrations back then, when they used to mean something. Did he have to stay? An extremely barbaric part of himself wanted nothing more than to snatch Light up, toss her over his shoulder, and take her someplace out of ear shot from everyone. A red hue colored her pale skin, but she didn't stop walking towards him until she was but an arms length away. "Haven't had a lot of reason to celebrate... until now..." she whispered.

Normally he would have turned and ran the other way, but the fact that Lightning had participated and helped to plan the celebration made it feel special and not like an entertainment he had to sit at for the benefit of the crowd. They were here for a lot of reasons, but mostly to say thanks. Reaching for his hand, she tugged for him to follow, and still a little breathless, he let her. There were various activities spread out throughout the courtyard, and everyone broke into groups, but not before moving to shake Snow's hand and wishing him a happy birthday. Why were they doing this?

_Because they love you._ Her answer was very simple, and holding her hand not being enough, he curled his arm around her waist and pulled her close, nuzzling the softness of her neck.

_Are you one of the birthday presents? _he softly inquired, chuckling when she blushed again.

_Perhaps..._

_What if that's all I want?_

_You'll see; patience..._ she teased, the laughter dancing in her eyes. He knew then how far gone he was; he'd willingly suffer a party, just for her. For the first time, no one was looking for him to shower them with false promises of protection, or wanting his money, or his favor. They just simply offered their friendship and love.


	34. Partings and Promises

Partings and Promises

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><p>If he thought getting her out of his head was difficult before, after becoming a l'Cie it became impossible. While riding the train, he had tried to convince himself that she was his enemy, that he should have trusted his instincts from the very beginning. Finding her on the Vestige and holding Serah had once again spun him into a circle of confusion. Why did she have to make his life so damn hard? It had always been easy to identify his enemies and friends, but with her... He had no idea what she was to him.<p>

His earlier anger fading, he sighed in agitation. All of them, to include himself, had experienced several days of stress and anxiety. Lightning was no different, and for all he knew, she had come home to spend time with Serah, and with little regard to how she might feel or act, they had told her about the brand and the engagement. The l'Cie brand would have been hard enough on Lightning, but the engagement as well? If their roles had been reversed; Snow more than likely might have killed someone.

To Lightning, Snow had replaced her role as the protector, taking Serah from her. She had to trust in him to keep her safe, but instead, they were now racing across Lake Bresha as l'Cie, the very thing that had gotten Bodhum purged in the first place. Having plenty of time to reflect over the past several weeks, it probably hadn't been a good idea to do what they had done. Marriage was technically something important, not to be joked around or used as a way to manipulate someone else's emotions.

With Lightning, everything was black or white, right or wrong. She didn't see in shades of gray, or at least she hadn't before all of this had happened. If Lightning had ever had a will of her own, Serah kept her from using it, or the Sanctum had beaten it out of her a long time ago. Familiar with military training, he had sworn to never allow that kind of behavior against his own. Yes, Gadot and himself had strict rules, but they didn't allow hazing, and each member was allowed to keep his or her emotions and a sense of who and what they were. Lightning didn't seem to know who she was, her emotions switching between sorrow and anger. More often than not, she was angry.

As a result of Lightning joining the military, Serah had been one of the lucky ones to avoid being sent to a Sanctum facility. Serah didn't have to worry about hunger, pain, or abandonment, of never being accepted because you just happened to be an orphan. Lightning did, and her choices were forced, not voluntary. He had tried to figure out how her parents had died, but that information had also been destroyed. It was like her entire past before she hit 16 never existed, and Serah didn't seem to have the memories to fill in the many questions he had.

Lightning was not her real name. Stealing occasional glances at her, he kept wondering what the Sanctum had over her? She hated them; at this point he was certain of it. However, with that knowledge, he still couldn't figure out why she'd allow them to bend her to their will. She had so much rage built up inside of her. He hadn't helped either. As far as Lightning was concerned, her entire world had crumbled on that Vestige. Serah turning into a crystal... What did that do to someone like Lightning?

With a heavy sigh, Snow continued forward. None of that really mattered at the moment; until he freed Serah, completed his Focus, and saved Cocoon, what choices did they have? Would any of them live long enough to see her wake up? One of them had to make it; he shuddered to think that several centuries from now, she'd open her eyes from a long crystal sleep, and find nothing familiar. Lightning had no problems keeping up the steady pace, unlike the others that were breathing hard, or tripping constantly.

"I wonder what happened to everyone else?" Vanille asked no one in particular. Snow wondered the same thing; had the fal'Cie turned them into crystal, or just the lake? He didn't have time to search for stragglers, on the run with this strange group. With PSICOM temporarily out of the way, the only things left to fight were more Cie'th. How many were there, and how long had they been trapped on the Vestige?

Finally coming upon something new, neither PSICOM or fal'Cie related, they stared at the disturbed wildlife. Snow had encountered these things once before, always present around large bodies of fresh water. Left alone, they were harmless, but when agitated, the Breshan Bass were dangerous opponents that attacked in groups. They had a lot of resilience, but had vulnerabilities to fire and lightning.

Taking out one challenge after the next, gave them little time for a rest, but when they did, it was always in a concealed location. It was foolish to stop in an open area, something Lightning and Snow both understood, and silently agreed to keep from happening. If they realized the group was slowing down, they'd pull them into a small crevice, wait ten to twenty minutes, and then continue.

On one of their breaks, he was standing on a crystal boulder, his fist in the air. "We fight it! Ragnarok!" Lightning simply stared at him in astonishment. He couldn't seriously think that this was their Focus, did he? Jumping down, he faced all of them, his expression determined and certain. "That's the reason we're l'Cie. To stop it - to keep Cocoon safe!"

First Serah, now a single glimpse of a giant monster? At least the others looked just as skeptical. Sazh this time wasn't so willing to go along with Snow's idea. Most of them didn't understand the curse or the vision, but Lightning had her doubts that their only purpose was to defeat Ragnarok and life would return to normal. Why all five of them? "Yeah," Sazh said, "why don't you give us one reason to believe that? One reason," he stated, shaking his finger at Snow.

"Serah." Did he really have to keep bringing her into this? Granted, Serah had asked them to save Cocoon, but that didn't mean anything. She had been close to death, but there was a small shred of evidence to validate Snow's claim. She wouldn't have turned to crystal if she hadn't completed her Focus. Her last words were for them to save Cocoon, begging them to promise.

The moment he said her name, however, everyone dropped their gaze. Most of them thought he had lost it slightly when she turned to crystal, and was suffering from a broken heart. Lightning knew better. He had no more idea what they were supposed to do than they did, but was trying to piece it together. "She said to protect Cocoon, and then she turned to crystal. That's the proof right there. She completed her Focus!" As much as she wanted to deny his claim, she couldn't. That didn't mean she liked it though. If Serah was right, that meant the fal'Cie wasn't an enemy, and she refused to accept that logic. "That means ours is to save Cocoon."

The moment he glanced at Lightning, she knew they were about to go at it again. Not because she didn't believe him, it was because she refused to do anything the fal'Cie wanted them to do. The fal'Cie was her enemy, and she was going to keep it that way. "Serah's fal'Cie was the same as ours. Our Focus has got to be the same. We were chosen to be guardians, to defeat Ragnarok! It makes sense!"

The one good thing about Sazh was that he usually presented valid arguments to a strong assumption. He made you see the other side, and it was hard for her to choose which was right, and which was wrong. Everything they did, could be helping them complete the Focus the fal'Cie gave them, leaving her with little options. "The hell it does!" Sazh denied. "You're grasping at straws, son! Pulse fal'Cie are Cocoon's enemies. We just got recruited by one of them." Any hope Vanille might have had for help, died at Sazh's statement, but she had to believe that the fal'Cie knew what it was doing when it marked them. Sure, they were confused right now, they were even down right hostile about their fate, but in the end, they'd have to face it or turn Cie'th. "If I were a betting man... I'd put us on the other side."

Lightning felt his anger returning, the violent storm she had sensed in him when they had first woke up. _Calm down, Snow. Not everyone is going to agree with your assessment, and I'm not so sure I think he's wrong._

That was the last thing she should have said, his gaze going as cold as ice. "So Serah's an enemy too?" he half-snarled. "Well I don't buy it!" She flinched at that; that was not what she had said. Why was he twisting her words around? Sazh didn't think of Serah as an enemy either, just the fal'Cie that had marked them. Walking up to Lightning, trying to prove to her that he was right, "We have the power to save Cocoon. If we work together and carry out our Focus-"

_Never! _she roared in his head. Drawing out her gun blade, she pressed it against his throat, taking all of them off guard. Serah wasn't her enemy, she gave him that.

"Our Focus?" she shouted back at him. "The fal'Cie took Serah from us, and you want to help it? Whose side are you on?" _I'll never serve that thing! Never! I don't care if it's for Pulse or Cocoon... It took Serah and as long as I draw breath, I will fight this curse with every fiber of my being!_

Just as he was about to respond, a voice shouted over them, "Freeze!" Startled, Lightning whirled around, finding themselves once again surrounded and caught off guard by the enemies. This time it wasn't a mindless Cie'th, but PSICOM, her worse fear realized. If they discovered who she was, and that she had a l'Cie brand... Snow picked up on her terror, but they couldn't do anything with the children close by.

They were on both sides of them, and the boy ducked behind Sazh, not knowing what else to do. They couldn't run, and fighting didn't seem like a possibility either. "Place your hands behind your heads!"

_Do what they say? _Snow told her, reading her mind. She didn't care if she died or not, but for the sake of the others, she needed to keep calm. Her fear of being taken back in by them, of being locked in a room, of being tortured was forefront in her mind, and it took all his mental strength to break through to her. _We got this. None of them know who you are, or at least not yet. As much as you hate what we are, it'll keep us alive, and we'll figure out what it is we're supposed to do. I'm not out to destroy Cocoon, Light... I only want to save it, Serah, and the people that followed us into this mess. Remember them... the ones that are cursed with us because we wanted to fight the fal'Cie?_

He was right, but it still took all she had to simply drop her gun blade to the ground. She couldn't recall the last time she had been this scared, but if she gave into it, they'd kill Snow and the others, and take her for sure. She let the Soldier mentality come back to her, take her over, and she relaxed her muscles and forced her hands behind her head. "You fall off the Purge train?" In the past, she had always been too young for them to do anything other than beat and poke her with needles. Now wasn't the case, and she was all too familiar with what guys like this did to women.

"Maybe," she taunted, knowing it would agitate him into doing something stupid. _You'll only have a split second to act... Can you handle this?_ she demanded. _  
><em>

_Just curious to why it's taking you so long? _he taunted, making every effort to keep her mind centered. If he damaged her pride, she would take it out on the Soldiers.

"Are you talking back to me?" he shouted, storming up to her in an aggressive and threatening manner. Was this what they had done to her growing up? Snow's rage was in full force, and Lightning had to mentally shout at him to stay focused. Now was not the time to go berserk. If the guy threatened to hit her with that gun one more time, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she smirked, glancing at the man with bitter contempt. Perhaps she had been afraid of them when she was younger, but she wasn't a little girl now. One, she had rightfully earned her rank in the Corps, and two, she did have power. As much as she resented where it came from, the tides were turned and she wanted them to suffer just like she had done. She wanted them to hurt for ever going after her sister when she had done everything they had asked without complaint.

"Nice gun," she sneered. _Now!_ And everything exploded into action, happening so fast, that Sazh, Hope, and Vanille had no idea what was going on until it was over. It was like Snow and Lightning were in perfect sync with each other, as if he had known what she was going to do the entire time. Her arm smashed against the metal weapon, and ignoring it fracturing as a result, she elbowed him in the chest, hit him with a solid round house, and broke his neck.

Kicking up her gun blade, she was already moving for the next kill, while Snow was engaging the other side. Just that fast, it was over, everyone staring at the lifeless bodies in a state of shock. Snow, watching her the entire time, felt a sense of pride that they had managed to fight together at least once in his life time. _You good?_

_Yeah._ She knew he wasn't going to tell the others, not about the close call they almost had. If he hadn't pulled her back in time... _Thanks._

"I thought they'd be tougher than that," Sazh spoke, breaking them from their silent conversation. "These guys are PSICOM, yeah? Supposed to be cream-of-the-crop."

"Yeah, but PSICOM's an anti-Pulse task force. Haven't fought a war in centuries. Bunch of rookie troops swinging around over priced toys."

"So, from what you're telling me, it sounds like a regular old Soldier... has got more training than special forces." Lightning wanted to state that was usually the case. Infantry type Soldiers did all the fighting, while units like PSICOM built and developed the weapons the ground forces used. Unless it involved secret intelligence work, they didn't involve themselves.

"Nothing for us l'Cie to be afraid of," Snow bragged.

"Cut the crap." They didn't need to be filling the kids' or Sazh's minds with false misconceptions, or to rely on their powers. They had them, but they didn't know how to use them effectively. "Their grunts might be green, but PSICOM's elites are cold-blooded beasts. They hit the field and it's game over." And she had no intentions of sticking around to face them. She knew without a shadow of a doubt, they'd never kill her, not right away. They had always been looking for some tie to Pulse from her, and now that they had it, they'd make her life a living nightmare before they let her die. It wouldn't surprise her if they allowed her to turn, just to study her some more and somehow use the Cie'th for the military or their research.

Snow wanted to say something, but Vanille cut them off. "Oh-oh! Then let's run away!" Pointing and turning the other way, "Ciao!"

"Hey, wait!" Sazh called out after her, quickly following. With no idea how many more Soldiers there were, he felt that he had no choice but to keep close to the kids. "What's a man to do?" And he too was gone. Hope did the same, briefly giving the two of them a moment a lone.

Snow didn't know if he'd get another chance, and surprising her, he snagged her around the waist and ruffly pulled her close, trapping her hands against his chest. "I've told myself again and again that you're a hopeless cause, but that's not quite true is it? You want my help, but you won't ask for it. I'm not giving up, Farron, not now, not in the future, and not after we complete this Focus. I just hope by the end of all of this, you'll trust that I'm reliable and I'm not just an idiot that runs a random military organization."

Her eyes were wide with shock, having no idea how to respond to what she was feeling, or the heat she felt from their close proximity. She attempted to push him away, but he had the strength to keep her locked to him, and for the first time, she realized how out of her league she was when it came to their fighting skills. All this time, he could have had the upper hand, but he hadn't taken it, at least not in front of anyone. Leaning his head in, mere breaths from claiming her trembling lip, "This isn't over Farron; no where close to it." And then he was gone, taking after the others. He could have taken the chance, but that wasn't his game plan.

The longer he kept her in suspense, the harder it would be for her to find reasons to keep on resisting him and his efforts to have her. The desire had been there, even if she didn't know what it was. Her body knew what it wanted, he just had to wait for her mind and heart to catch up to it. Force either one before it was ready, and he'd lose her.

* * *

><p>Later down the path, Snow once again in the forefront while Lightning had the rear, he realized she wasn't counter minding any of his decisions. It wasn't complete trust, but it was a start, and he wanted to prove that he was just as good as a Soldier, that despite his lack of training, he had what it took to make the right decisions. Why couldn't he get her to admit that he was just as good as her?<p>

Again he thought she was mentally laughing at him, but he couldn't look at her face to confirm that. Damn if she wasn't just as good at shielding her thoughts now as she was her facial expressions.

Snow interrupted his thoughts, when he started talking to the others. "Weird isn't it? Of all the messed up ways to meet," he half muttered, half sighed. "Well, might as well make introductions. I'm Snow- Snow Villiers. Short stuff?"

Hope lifted his head and glared. Ouch. What the hell had he done to anger this kid? For the life of him he couldn't figure it out. If they managed to get out of this crystal maze and evade the PSICOM soldiers, he needed to ask him before they parted ways. "Hope- Hope Estheim." The boy said nothing further, putting as much distance between Snow and himself as he could. There wasn't anything to do at the moment, all of them simply moving with the tide of events. Snow looked at the girl, a smile on her youthful face. He didn't believe that she was truly as happy as she liked everyone to believe, but he didn't push her on the issue either. Wasn't he the same?

Granted, if he had taken things more seriously, perhaps things wouldn't have escalated this far. He loved NORA, and those that had chosen to support him and his ideals, but he lacked a lot of Lightning's military training, and a lot of his decisions had gotten several people killed. That guilt would remain with him for the rest of his life, but he didn't allow himself to feel sorry for himself. The only way to move forward was to learn from past mistakes and not repeat them. Still, he seemed to break promise after promise lately, and that wasn't something he liked.

"What about her?" Vanille asked. She simply ignored them. Besides, give Snow a chance, and he'd answer for her and he proved her right.

"Bodhum security regiment. She goes by Lightning. Last name's Farron- first, is anyone's guess." She had no intentions of telling them either. That part of her had died the day her parents had, and she refused to allow him to dig that piece of her out of its grave. _Don't count on it, Farron. I may not be willing to use this link to take advantage of you, but don't think we're at any form of compromise. _

"Vanille," the girl told them. There was an air of mystery about this girl, and he couldn't recall anything about her, or having seen her in Bodhum prior to boarding the train. That didn't mean much, however. People came and went all the time, and that was more Lebreau's field than his. Even Sazh seemed a mystery, not from Bodhum either.

"Sazh Katztroy. Good to meet you."

Only one of them refused to introduce herself, remaining emotionally distant. Snow sighed; was it so hard to allow others to help her? The sooner she realized that one couldn't fight a war or fate alone, the sooner they'd find away to completing their Focus. Lightning didn't like idle chatter, and he wondered if she was like this in her regiment? Did she even have any friends? _Friends... that would have gotten them killed._

Damn it, he found it really hard not to like her when she said stuff like that. Was she keeping barriers between herself and others in an effort to protect them? _"Serah? How do I save her?" _Snow couldn't help but feel that Lightning needed it, but she wasn't going to make it easy.

* * *

><p>She wanted to break down and cry, but her pride didn't allow such a weakness in front of everyone. Soldiers didn't show emotions like fear or pain. Her body felt numb and heavy. To make matters worse, she had a strong hunch that Snow was picking up on her chaotic thoughts. <em>Why do we bother? <em>She thought again. Lightning heard their voices, and occasionally she caught a word here and there. They were talking about who they were, but what did that matter if PSICOM, the lake monsters, or their Focus would kill them? How long did they have? That answer none of them had. She caught Vanille's question, but Lighting had to think, trying to recall a name she had changed so long ago, the day her parents had died. What's sad; she had no idea what it was. Maybe Serah remembered, but she wasn't around to ask. _Mom... dad..._ _When did everything go so wrong?_

Their fate... they no longer had one. All their hopes and dreams died the minute Serah had become a l'Cie, the moment the Pulse Vestige had revealed itself and the Sanctum had declared all of Bodhum a threat to Cocoon society. Now they too were a threat, and she had no idea why she hadn't tried to eliminate it? She did know though. One, she'd never raise her sword to kill a child. Hope and Vanille were so very young, even if they didn't stand a chance at completing their Focus, she'd never harm them. Two, a part of her wanted to believe Snow, that they'd somehow manage to survive all of this, wake up from a crystal sleep, and find themselves free of their curse, and all of this behind them.

About an hour later, they found themselves coming into an open corridor, and Sazh sighed, a small smile on his face as he watched Vanille laugh and skip along. Hope was close behind, having decided to stay close to her. As long as he stayed next to her, he felt normal, despite the death of his mother. "It's not right. Why did kids have to get dragged into this?"

Strutting around like a peacock, a hand on his hip, Snow smiled, wanting to enjoy the brief respite from fighting. "I'll keep the kids out of trouble." He didn't see Lightning roll her eyes, but she decided if she simply ignored him, they'd eventually separate and she'd find a way to deal with everything that had happened. In truth, almost all of this wasn't Snow's fault, but she needed someone to take out her blame and self-loathing on. It kept her going. All she really wanted was to sit, wait, and let PSICOM find and kill her. Continuing forward, she shut everything else out.

Sazh joined him with a friendly laughter. It was good, but they both knew it wouldn't last. "Problem with that is, you're one of them."

Despite her best efforts not to hear them, she released a small laugh, startled that she had been able to. Snow blinked, but she had already taken off. Had he heard her right, or was he simply wanting her to like him so bad, that he was hallucinating now. Soldier girl never laughed, not according to Serah or his intelligence reports.

If his hearing wasn't bad, and he had heard right, he wished she'd do it again. God he had it bad for her, and he had a strong hunch it wasn't going to go away. Lightning glanced at him briefly before taking off further ahead. Despite Sazh's assessment, she knew otherwise. Snow was all male, and far from being a child. The battle on the Hanging Edge had proven that, and a child would have never made it as far as he had. Yes, he made a lot of mistakes, but he never had proper training, and everything he knew, he had learned on his own through trial and error. Didn't that make him the better Soldier and Commander?

His ego bruised slightly, but still smiling; "Hey!" he protested. She almost thought, if their lives had been different, if her parents hadn't died, if she hadn't joined the Guardian Corps, and she hadn't been forced to take on the responsibilities of her younger sister, they might have become friends. Would he still want her though? If she wasn't a Soldier, if she had just been a normal girl...

_I don't want a normal girl... _he growled.

On a more serious topic; "Trying to take on the Pulse fal'Cie, that was our first mistake. Should have left it to the Sanctum."

Up ahead, Vanille turned to shout back at them, jumping up and down waving. Hope just stared at her, shaking his head in mystified confusion. Did nothing phase this girl? She seemed immune to the danger and violence around them. "Hey," she called out. "Come on, come on!" Without checking to see if Hope wanted to participate, she grabbed Hope's arm and waved it around. Hope's mouth dropped open, too taken aback at her bubbly excitement to yell at her not to touch him. It was annoying, but he almost found himself starting to like it to. He never hung around girls that much, having moved from place to place with his mother. What was the point of making friends if he was going to move on again?

Sazh chuckled, but continued talking. "Why not? I mean we've counted on the fal'Cie for food, water... everything we've needed since the time we were born."

Snow understood his logic, but at the same time, there were questions left unanswered. He knew the reasons why Lighting and himself had engaged the fal'Cie. Crossing his arms; "But you still helped us to do it. Why's that?" Sazh noted that Snow had drifted towards Lightning again, his movements acting subconsciously. The boy might not realize it, but deep down, Sazh had a hunch that Snow cared for her, and not as a Soldier, but for the woman that she was. To Sazh, it was probably best that she continued to ignore him. The relationship, as long as she held that chip on her shoulder, wouldn't last. "Gotta be something." Snow questioned, wondering if Sazh would answer.

Sazh stared off in the distance, his reasons carefully locked away and known only to himself and the people that had taken his son away. "There might've been," he sadly agreed, waving his hand over his head. "Not so sure anymore."

"Wha..." Why did most of the group always fall back into despair and hopelessness. That wasn't going to get them anywhere, and he refused to think that all of this wasn't for a reason. Granted, he wasn't going to attack Cocoon or it's people, but that didn't mean he needed to roll over and die either.

The crystal maze seemed to have no end, but as they continued to dispatch monsters and PSICOM mechanical beasts, Snow had to admit that Lightning had definitely taken her training seriously over the years. Every inch of her was toned muscle, not an ounce of fat anywhere to be found. Was her hair really pink, or did she dye it that way? Why the hell couldn't he think of anything else other than, Lightning? She never once indicated that there may be a chance with her, even if he thought she'd fit him perfectly, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

However, he had a lingering thought that Lightning had never been with anyone else either, and the thought of a relationship had never crossed her mind, or was even an option. Her uniform barely concealed anything, and he had to often look at anything other than her when they fought. How did she move her legs so easily with the skirt so restricting against her thighs? And the bag on her left leg? By far, she was easily the most attractive woman he'd ever encountered, strong, self-reliant, and stubborn.

Lightning's only flaw was her temper and unrelenting disapproval of anything that didn't fit into her organized idea of right and wrong. That was the Sanctum logic, having brainwashed people into acting and living a certain way, like puppets on a string. For a time, all they had to worry about were scattered remnants of PSICOM enforcers and Pantherons, but these seemed confused and cut off from their main units. Parts of their uniforms and armor plating looked as if it had been crystallized, but somehow had avoided a fate of eternal slumber themselves. On a metal platform, they took a brief pause, but only for a few minutes before surging forward.

At last, they were reaching the remains of the Pulse Vestige. Like them, it was no longer above them, but buried deep within the crystal. Walking down to the end of the platform, Lightning began to slow, the anger suddenly gone from her pale face. With a gasp of anguish, one word had him completely forgetting about her and focused at the object lying at the very edge of the Vestige. "Serah," she whimpered. Just as she was about to rush to her, Snow shoved her aside, shouting her sister's name. It hurt them both equally to see her lying so still, cased in crystal, and unaware of everything going on around her. Her hands were still in front of her, as if she were trying to reach for and hold something. Clasping one of her crystal hands, "Serah! I'll get you out of there?" Spotting a piece of metal, he grabbed and started digging at the ice around her, hoping to somehow break her out of the crystal without hurting her. Other than the legends, he knew next to nothing of the crystal sleep, or how long she'd remain that way. The thought of her waking alone and afraid drove him to try.

"I'll help you," Vanille told him.

"Thanks!" Vanille and Sazh joined him, each driven for their own reasons to help him do this one thing. It made him feel a little better, but nothing they did seemed to make a dent in her crystal tomb.

* * *

><p>Lightning simply stood back, her entire body shaking and consumed with pain. She had lost her sister, and they were fools to believe otherwise. For a brief moment, her mind phased them out, and Serah's crystal body glowed in her mind, and she held back the tears that threatened to fall. Now was not the time, nor did she think she'd live long enough to find one. "This is good-bye," she told her, and started to walk away.<p>

Startled, Snow stopped digging, watching Lightning retreat. Was she for real? "Lightning?" he shouted at her, watching her pause. "You're just going to leave her?"

He started to reach for her wrist, and he froze. Her shoulders were shaking, as if she were crying, but he couldn't see her face. "PSICOM will be here soon," her voice raw with sorrow. Snow felt his heart breaking for her, not because she was Serah's sister, but because she was hurting so much, with no idea how to release it all, and terrified of revealing it to them. He needed her to look at him, to gauge her true reaction. "If they find us, we're all dead. You think Serah would want that?" Lightning had nothing else to say. It would take forever to attempt digging her out, precious time they didn't have. "You think you know how she feels?"

Why did he always make promises he couldn't keep? At times, he seemed to have so much potential, but his blind faith in fairy tales made him reckless, naive, and dangerous for anyone that chose to listen and follow; like Serah. Unable to hold back this time, regardless of what tried to get in her way, she whirled around, all the rage, pain and guilt at the surface for him to see. Lightning, deep down, knew Snow had nothing to do with Serah's fate, but she blamed him regardless. He had spent precious moments with her sister, and she didn't even know if Serah had even loved her any longer, or if she had learned to resent Lightning always being gone.

In the Vestige, it had been Snow, not Lightning she had smiled at. Even now, despite everything that had happened, he still wasn't giving up, and it was more than she could handle. In reality, it was Lightning that didn't deserve Serah, and it hurt like hell to admit it. Rushing up to him, she pulled back her fist and slammed it with all her strength against his jaw, wishing it was herself she could punch. Bones in her hand cracked, and pain radiated up and down her body, but she ignored it, watching him fall to the ground.

Snow's larger body crushed Sazh beneath him, but he didn't move, gaping up at Lightning in awe. "Does she look protected to you?"

Now was the time; if he let this opportunity go, he may never have another to finally reach through to her. This was the real Lightning, a warrior conflicting with a frightened little girl that had never had a chance to experience emotions like grief or happiness. Jumping back to his feet, coming face-to-face with her; "I can save her!"

She punched him a second time, and he had to admit, she had a mean right hook, once again knocking him to the ground. Sazh was simply trying to stay out of the way, his head hitting the ground. Lightning started to raise her fist again, but instead of fighting her like they both wanted, he refused to strike back. She knew he needed this, so why wasn't he engaging? "What can you possibly do?" she screamed at him.

Snow had started to give her what she needed and wanted, but not in the way she would have expected. To her, pain was the only way of dealing with the internal hurt, and he would have allowed her to continue to try and punch him at this point, only she wouldn't have managed to get another one in. He was faster than her, and with his new l'Cie abilities, he could block each and every one of her punches if he chose. And then it happened, a site that made his own soul ache for her, but at the same time, had him staring at her as if she were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. _Serah, I am in so much trouble. How do I save her? It's what you kept trying to tell me, and I wouldn't listen?_

Grief and sorrow were not regular emotions she dealt with, never having the luxury to as a Soldier. He told her what she didn't want, watching her flinch in pain with each word uttered. Lightning had lost any form of hope or faith, and seeing her sister, inside the crystal was the same as what she had endured with her parents. It was happening again... This time, however, she had nothing left to keep her going.

"What ever it takes!" he promised. He was never going to see the truth, always acting as if he could save the world. Lowering her fist, the anger fading like the wind, and she looked away.

Everyone stared at them in shock. All of them knew this was bound to happen, and everyone waited for Snow to retaliate, but instead, he simply looked off into the distance. "Oh me," Sazh sighed. "You two are hopeless." Snow, thinking it was better this way, chose not to give into her. Her eyes flashed in panic, but she didn't attempted no further acts of aggression. It was over.

Instead, Snow had turned back around, resuming his efforts to dig Serah out. Sazh didn't like it, but Lighting was right. "You just can't admit it," he told Lightning, seeing what she couldn't. "You want to stay as much as he does."

Sazh moved to a metal wall, leaning against it, waiting for everyone to make up their minds on what to do. None of them heard the metallic sound of something landing above them, and only when a bright light centered on Sazh, did he look up. His eyes widened. "Whoa whoa! No... No! No, no no, not now!"

With everyone so overwhelmed with a maelstrom of emotions, the last thing they needed was a major encounter, a Manasvin Warmech facing them. However, not one to disappoint, despite how she felt, Lightning drew her gun blade and rushed forward without hesitation. She had no idea why she still wanted to fight, but the drive to protect her sister still existed within her, and this thing needed to go. Snow dropped his tool and rushed after her. It was the only time when neither opposed each other, and it was the one thing about him that she could rely on. He was good in a fight. Everything else, well she questioned if anything else was worth analyzing over? The mechanical beast launched into the air, it's body twisting and turning like a snake. Landing between them and Serah, Hope shuffled away, screaming in terror.

Sazh and Lightning had fought one of these things before, just after the train had been derailed. It hadn't been easy then, and it wasn't going to be easy now. Starting to go to their aide, Snow thrust his arm in front of him, and shook his head. "Stand back!" Snow told Sazh, already rushing forward with Lightning and Vanille. It made sense. With their new powers, Snow had the ability to shield them, Vanille served as the healer, and Lightning as the fighter. Grabbing Hope, Sazh pulled the boy away, giving the other three room to fight.

The monster immediately attacked with a wave cannon, giving Snow barely enough time to place a shield around them, the act attracting the monster's attention. Launching a barrage of attacks, it was Vanille that kept him standing, healing injuries as fast as the monster inflicted them. It hurt like hell, but he refused to give up. As soon as she broke through it's armor and gained a critical hit, all of them switched to the offensive, trying to bring it down as fast as possible.

It wasn't enough, forcing them to go on the defensive once more, the machine using it's backup power to fire another wave cannon at them. Lightning grunted in pain slightly, but Vanille was already healing her. Landing one more critical hit, gave them the opportunity to switch back to the offensive and this time the machine went down. The three of them gasped for air, still feeling the effects of using their magical powers. Regardless of how they felt about it, it had been those abilities that had just saved theirs and Serah's life.

All of them turned back to Serah's crystal statue. Lightning had been right, and as much as all of them wanted to stay and cut her out; they had no choice but to go. She turned to walk away, and Snow blocked her path, furious that she was giving up so easily. "You're leaving?" She didn't say anything, her insides numb.

"We want to help Serah to," Sazh tried to explain. How did he reason with the boy? Sighing, he flicked his head at her and the sorry excuses of picks they had been using. He had to admit the futility of their efforts. "But, without tools... we could be digging for days. The army's on our trail. For now we got to keep moving. For now." Apparently it wasn't the right thing to say to the commander, the thought of leaving a fallen comrade behind abhorrent to him. It didn't sit well with the rest of them either, however, if they all died, then what good did they serve Serah?

Snow knew Sazh was right, but he couldn't go. "So I just abandon her, and save myself?"

"What about your Focus?" Lightning whispered, no longer angry, just defeated. "What happened to banding together and saving the world? Isn't that what you promised?" It was like all the other times, Snow always promising things he couldn't keep. His heart was in the right place, but he had foolish expectations and had a lot to learn. "Now you want to forget it all and die right here?"

Everything she said hit home, the fight on the Hanging Edge, all the people dying under his command, the mother begging him to save her son. He had made all those promises then to, failing at every one of them. "Snow?" she whispered. "You're nothing but talk." Was she right? He couldn't give up though, and he wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Lightning!" he called out. He heard her stop, and it gave him hope that a part of her did believe. Was her leaving him her way of giving him his chance? She'd never openly admit how she felt, and to stay would place the others in terrible danger. The kids lacked the ability to fully defend themselves, and she'd take them with her, to leave Snow on his own, to save or die with her sister. "I'll do what ever it takes. I'll finish this Focus... and keep Serah safe. That's my promise." She wanted to believe him; she really did, but to stay wasn't an option.

Walking away, not knowing if he'd live or die, she replied back, "Great job so far." Her words stung, and he watched as the others decided to go after her as well. He wasn't going to ask them to stay; Lightning was right, and it was his choice and his choice alone to stay with Serah.

"Stay out of trouble," he told Sazh.

The man clapped him on the shoulder, and refused to look behind, "You too." The kid had a stubborn streak a mile wide and he only hoped that this wasn't the last time he'd see him. Sazh had a strong hunch that if Snow died with Serah, Lightning wouldn't recover. She acted like she didn't care, but people didn't get so angry if they didn't have strong feelings for a person. Sazh just hoped Snow had what it took to crack through the armor that Lightning had erected around her heart. Other than Snow, he doubted seriously anyone had that ability.

Vanille and Hope hesitated, looking at him, and uncertain on what to do. He admired their willingness to help him, but they're best chances of survival were with Lightning and Sazh. "Get going," he told them.

Vanille sighed, but did as he asked. She looked up at him as she passed. This was good-bye to the one person that didn't harbor a hatred for l'Cie. "Later," he told her.

"Okay," she said, hoping he'd make it. She didn't remember her sleep, and wondered if everyone she had left behind tried to get her out like Snow was doing for Serah?

Hope was the last, but he stopped in front of him, needing to tell him how he felt, but the words were still locked away. "Snow..." Why was this so hard to do?

"Save it for next time, kiddo." It was the first time the kid had wanted to talk to him, but this wasn't the place, not with PSICOM so close. "You'll get left behind." Hope paled, almost took off running, and stopped again.

"But..."

"It's okay, Hope," he softly ensured. "Light will take care of you. We'll meet again."

It was enough to get Hope to table what he wanted to say. "Yeah. Count on it!" Snow didn't pause to look at everyone leaving, already moving to dig at Serah's crystal tomb again.

Snow had knelt in front of Serah again, whispering, "I'll get you out of there," before commencing with his efforts to get her out.

Hope briefly looked behind him, almost feeling sorry for Snow. He would have been the same if it had been his mother. Still, he couldn't forgive him for her death either, and he only hoped he would get the chance to tell him what his actions had caused. "Count on it."


End file.
